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...Compendium 



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FACTS ABOUT 



OKLAHOMA CITY 

IN DETAIL 



OKLAHOMA TERRITORY 

IN GENERAL 



KIOWA £• COMANCHE 

COUNTRY In Particular 



# 



Price, 50 Cants 



• , Address, 
PHILIP L. ALEXANDRE, 

OKLAHOMA CITY, O. T. 



CONTENTS. 



Pag ■. 

Oklahoma City Self Made . ... 4 

Some Early History 8 

Tlie City as it Now Appears 9 

A Peep Into the Future 10 

Climatic Conditions (City) 13 

Oklahoma City's Banks 19 

Statistical Comparisons 24 

Why Oklahoma Is Prosperous 25 

Climatic Conditions (Oklahoma).. 27 

The Grain Crops 35 

Cotton Crops 37 

Alfalfa and Other Forage Crops . . 38 

Oklahoma as a Fruit Country .... 3) 



Manufacturing 



An Absorbing Tale 41 

Labor Organizations 42 

The Laws and Taxes -!(> 

General Agents 47 

Spend Many Thousands f . . . 47 

Street Improvements 55 

Directory Facts 58 

Stock Industry *>2 

PuMic InsiAiutiofls :•.•:.<•.. C V 63 

. . 03 

. . (>7 

.. 70 
94 

. . 95 



( l Gkurekes . .'. . ..< , 
Secret Societies . 
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CON 
Two Cop 

MAR. 30 1901 

GpPYRlQHT ENTRY 

[class ^/x^c. n*. 



Business Men 100 

Fire Department 118 

Official Directory 121 

Postoffice 122 

Schools 123 

City Club 126 

Part 11— Introduction 128 

Editorial — 'The Passing of the 

Frontier." 130 

Kiowa-Comanche Country 133 

' Reservations 138 

'roperty Rights 147 

,ands (Jood as in any State 140 

limate 151 

Oklahoma Facts 154 

• ndian Reservations 156 

'Yichita Mountains 101 

Yichita. Reservation 104 

r ,a\vs 165 

Mining Laws 165 

Homestead Law 100 

How to Initiate Homestead Rights. 169 

Homestead by Entry 10<) 

Examination of the Land 170 

Who Can Make Homestead Entry. 172 

Simultaneous Application 173 

Homestead by Settlement 174 

Entry Within Three Months ....175 

Residence to Follow 175 

Xo Soldiers' and Sailors" Law . . . .177 
Poem— "The Last Frontier." 182 







By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route, 

BEFORE THE PIONEERS CAME. 






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HIGH SCHOOL AT NORMAN, 




WASHINGTON SCHOOL, OKLAHOMA CITY. 



INTRODUCTION. 



My three objects in publishing this 
book is: First, for personal gain; sec- 
ondly-, to perpetuate and place on record 
in other cities in a convenient and last- 
ing form the wonderful story of a twelve 
year old Oklahoma city, just as it was 
on the first day of the first year as pub- 
lished in the Oklahoma City Times-Jour- 
nal's Twentieth Century edition. In 
years to come this little book will be of 
interest to those who were doing busi- 
ness in Oklahoma City January 1, 1901; 
it will be of interest to thousands who 
will be here in after years. Thirdly, to 
advertise my adopted city and bring cap- 
ital here to be used in manufacturing 
more than we do. 

We have good soil to back us, a 
splendid climate — land is the foundation 
of all wealth. Every state in the union 
has one or more good cities; Oklahoma 
City has the start, the brains, the capital, 
the buildings, the required energy — our 
banks all needed capital to foster and as- 
sist any legitimate enterprise. Why buy 
brooms in Kansas when we have a fac- 
tory that makes better brooms here? 



Why buy stale northern roasted coffee 
if we have a steam coffee roaster in our 
own town? Why buy baking powder 
manufactured in the north; we have just 
as good a formula as they have. THE 
MARKETS OF THE WORLD ARE 
OPEN TO US. We can buy anything 
they use. Why send away from our 
home town to have printing done? We 
can do it here just as cheap, just as 
well. I might go on and on through 
everything you or I use, until the list 
would be too long. I think it a shame 
for any person in Oklahoma City to 
sweep with a broom branded any other 
place if they can buy one branded Okla- 
homa City, that they can buy for the 
same price made at home. Stand by 
your local industries if worthy until the 
stares fall. We can make a Dallas of 
Oklahoma City if we are true to o ir- 
selves and true to our local Industrie?, 
OUR LOCAL INDUSTRIES CANNOT 
LIVE IF NOT PATRONIZED BY HOME 
PEOPLE. Can we ask other towns to 
buy our goods if we do not buy them 
ourselves? 

We do not want to erect, a Chinese 
wall around Oklahoma City and keep 
out competition, nothing of the sort. Tf 
our flour mills make good flour (and 
they do), we ought to patronize them 
if thev are reasonable in their iJiiees. 



Without these home mills many houses 
would be vacant, many men idle on our 
streets, less money disbursed at home. 

Let this be our slogan: "Stand by our 
home industries if worthy, until the 
stars fall." Our pay roll makes some 
homes happy, puts carpet on the floor, 
pictures on the wall. 

Oklahoma Citv. 0. T.. March 1, 1901. 



Oklahoma City Self Made* 

Oklahoma City does not owe its start 
in life to the favors of congress, or to an 
executive order. The site itself had to 
be fought for with homestead claimants. 
3S T ot a foot of land had been reserved 
where now stands the chief city of the 
Territory, nor did the government name 
this point as a site for a land office, an 
institution indispensable to town boom- 
ers. Even the little old log postoffice 
was a. trespasser in one minute after the 
country was legally open to settlement. 
No government official by word or deed 
had suggested that here might be built 
a populous and handsome city. Yet the 
word had got out days, months and even 
years before settlement was permitted, 
that here would some day be built the 
chief city of the Territory. Before the 
Santa Ee road had invaded the Territory 
the boomers during one of their period- 
ic incursions, located the point three 
miles east. The Santa Fe fixed the poirt 
definitely. Who spread the reports that 
here was the place for the chief city of 
the Territory? The boomers, who had 
traveled by wagon and horseback over 
every section of the promised land. They 
knew that the country for miles around 
was rich in agricultural possibilities; 



5 

that agriculture could be carried on with 
profit without the sacrifice of health; 
that the climate was salubrious; and 
that the North Canadian river afforded 
' abundance of pure water indispensable 
to the building of a city. They knew 
too, that a railway would soon parallel 
the river, insuring at least two railways 
to the city they confidently believed 
would be built where the Santa Fe cross- 
ed the North Canadian river. 

The first land offices, the Meccas of all 
town boomers, were located at Kingfish- 
er and Guthrie. 

Such was the situation when the mul- 
titudes were turned loose upon Oklaho- 
ma. The hordes of town boomers gath- 
ered at the land office towns where 
speedy realization was promised. Fully 
15,000 gathered at Guthrie, and but 3,000 
at Oklahoma City. A month later Guth- 
rie's population had shrunk; Oklahoma 
City's had increased daily. In one year 
Guthrie possessed 1,000 more people than 
Oklahoma City. In two years Guthrie's 
margin was less still, while Oklahoma 
City's brick frontage was double that 
of Guthrie. For two years thereafter 
Oklahoma City was busy replacing tents 
and frail wooden structures with modern 
business blocks. At the beginning of 
1894, Guthrie was still ahead slightly in 
population but Oklahoma. City was far 



6 
ahead in business structures and wealth. 
For a period of three and a half years, 
from January 1894 until July 1897, Ok- 
lahoma City experienced the most trying 
ordeal which ever falls to the lot of a 
town. It had to undergo the agonizing 
and soul-trying ordeal of a transforma- 
tion from a county seat retail town to a 
metropolitan wholesale and jobbing 
point. In 1892 the Choctaw built into 
the city from the west, and in 1894 it 
built eastward to a connection with the 
South McAlester-Wister division. Prior 
to that extension Oklahoma City enjoy- 
ed a wagon trade covering a fairly well 
settled territory eastward for a distance 
of fifty miles. The railway ciit it all off. 
Then there were wailings and lamenta- 
tions among business men, and short- 
sighted people damned all railways and 
particularly the Choctaw. Stout-hearted 
ones, however, kept courage and instil- 
led hope of a far brighter future into the 
community. They felt confident that the 
jubbing interests would eventually re- 
place the wagon trade, but the jobbing 
interests grew slowly until the adv r ent 
of the Trisco in 1898. With five avenues 
out of the city a successful jobbing trade 
could be carried on. The trade then be- 
ban to grow faster than the population. 
In six .months time the city had regain- 
ed all that it had lost. In a year it pass- 



/ 
ed in point of business its only commer- 
cial rival, Guthrie. As the jobbing inter- 
ests increased new lines of business were 
added. To-day the wholesale interests 
of this city include groceries, packing 
house products, fruits and vegetables, 
beer, wines and liquors, hardware, drugs, 
harness and saddles, poultry, ginning ma 
chinery, dry goods, lumber, sash and 
doors, seeds, school supplies, books, no- 
tions, farm implements, farm machinery, 
threshing machines, paints, glass and 
oils, buggies, furniture, coal, jewelry, pe- 
troleum products, paper, dental supplies 
and blank books. Fully or.e-half the 
population of the city is supported by 
the wholesale houses. 

In connection with the wholesale inter- 
ests attention is called to the list of 300 
traveling salesmen residing in Oklahoma 
City, printed elsewhere in this issue. 

When the city's transportation facili- 
ties made it possible for them to do busi- 
ness, manufactories began to gather 
here. The first to come were flour mills, 
the city having now three of the finest 
in the Territory. The next in importance 
are the big cotton seed oil mill, the com- 
press, the packing house, the brewery, 
the distilleries, harness factory and the 
broom factories. In addition to these, 
our manufactories now include cotton 
gins, planing mills, foundries, brick kilns, 



8 
mattress works, candy factories, drug 
specialties, blank books, tents and awn- 
ings, cornice and ornamental tin and 
sheet copper works, bottling of carbon- 
ated waters, cigars, ice and cold storage, 
fruit packages, feed and meal mills, sash 
and doors and furniture. 

Some Early Day History* 

A sketch of Oklahoma City would not 
be complete without mention of the fa- 
mous capital fight. 

In the organic act provision was made 
for the calling of the first legislative as- 
sembly to meet at Guthrie. This assem- 
bly was charged with the duty of locat- 
ing the capital of the Territory. The 
legislature met in September 1890, and 
even before the organization was per- 
fected the capital question was the chief 
issue. The legislature was organized on 
the capital issue, Oklahoma winning by 
one majority in each house. From that 
hour for sixty days the battle waged hot 
and furious. A vote was reached and a 
bill was passed locating the capital at 
Oklahoma City. The governor vetoed it 
upon the ground of technical irregulari- 
ty. Another long struggle was neces- 
sary* to pass another bill which did not 
contain the objectionable feature of the 
former bill. Again he vetoed the bill 
without assigning a valid reason. Then 



9 
the Oklahoma City crowd joined with 
Kingfisher arid voted the capital to that 
place. A veto was again interposed. 
The session was more than half gone and 
a full set of law^s was yet to be created, 
so by mutual consent it was agreed that 
the question should not again be raised 
during that session. 

No further action has since been taken 
to locate the capital, and Guthrie holds 
the officers because the legislature has 
never carried out the provisions of the 
organic act which placed the capital lo- 
cation in its hands. 

Oklahoma City is still in the field as a 
candidate for capital honors. When it 
entered the race ten years ago it was 
the second city in size and wealth. Noav 
it is almost double the size of its rival 
and possesses more than double the 
wealth and business. In the next con- 
test Oklahoma City expects to enjoy the 
fruits of it-s victory. 

The City as it Now Appears* 

The city is compactly built both in the 
residence and business districts. Few 
vacant spaces can be found within a 
half mile of the business center. Most 
of the business is done in modern brick 
and stone business blocks, the total brick 
and stone frontage aggregating 7,592 
feet. Of the modern business blocks, 



10 
one is a six-story building, one a live 
story, eight are four stories, seven are 
three stories and the balance are mostly 
two stories. Some business is still done 
in wooden structures around the outer 
edges of the business district, but the 
wooden business structures are rapidly 
disappearing. 

The residence district is generally sup- 
plied with shade trees and ornamental 
shrubbery and well kept lawns of blue 
grass while clover and berniuda abound. 
The residence buildings range from the 
one story shack to the $15,000 residences. 

Oklahoma City is by far the hand- 
somest city in the Southwest, its busi- 
ness district being compact and business- 
like in appearance and the residence dis- 
tricts so adorned with shade trees and 
shrubbery as to make it most attractive. 

A Peep Into the Future* 

The magnificent jobbing business ' es- 
tablished in Oklahoma City is due to its 
peculiarly favorable location. Wichita is 
the nearest competitor on the north, dis- 
tance 175 miles; Fort Smith is the near- 
est on the east, distance, 200 miles; Dal- 
las is the nearest on the south, distance, 
200 miles; no competing points exist on 
the west. The points mentioned are 
competitors, but have no superiority 
over Oklahoma City. The great jobbing 



11 

centers are still farther away, the dis- 
tance to St. Louis being 540 miles and 
to Kansas City 395 miles. The Oklaho- 
ma City & Western railway is now 
ready to begin construction upon its line 
from Oklahoma City to Acme, Texas, 
and the Choctaw road has begun work 
upon its western extension. Both lines 
open a fine country which is directly tri- 
butary to Oklahoma City. 

The jobbing and manufacturing busi- 
ness has doubled within a year and sev- 
eral fine institutions have purchased 
ground for the erection of jobbing hous- 
es or have contracted for long leases 
upon blocks to be especially constructed 
for their business. In this connection 
may be mentioned a big wholesale furni- 
ture warehouse, a large four-story build- 
ing built especially for a Avholesale dry 
goods firm; a $20,000 broom factory, a 
brewery, the foundation of which is now 
in ; Dold Packing company's building for 
distributing meat products; McCormick 
Harvester company's building, 75x140 
feet and three stories high. A project 
for a cotton mill which will employ 300 
people is practically assured. 

Oftentimes a town will reach a popula- 
tion of 14,000 without any other back- 
ing than just the retail trade the sur- 
rounding country affords, the entire 
growth beyond 5,000 being forced by 



12 
real estate speculations. No such a con- 
dition exists in Oklahoma City. There 
has been no attempt by the owners of 
suburban property to boom the place. 
Not a- single house has been erected 
simply for the purpose of selling adja- 
cent vacant property. There is now a 
demand for 200 more residences than 
the city can supply. The completion of 
the institutions now in course of con- 
struction and contracted for will give 
employment to 200 more men, necessisat- 
ing 200 more residences for them alone. 
The extension of the Choctaw and the 
construction of the Oklahoma City & 
Western, (both already provided for) 
will add 500 men to the railway force of 
the city. 

The postofTice receipts, the bank de- 
posits, the vote and the school enroll- 
ment can be accurately ascertained. The 
postofTice and bank business are the best 
kind of evidence as to business condi- 
tions, and the school enrollment and the 
vote at annual elections indicate the in- 
crease or decrease in population. These 
evidences go to prove that the business 
of the city is increasing at the rate of 
thirty -five to forty per cent per annum 
while the population is increasing at 
the rate of twenty-five to thirty per 
cent. 

There is everv reason to believe that 



13 
the present rate of increase will con- 
tinue for at least three or four years to 
come. There is in sight business enough 
a.nd sufficient momentum to extend the 
city's era at least three years more. It 
may go on without a break for ten 
years. There is nothing in sight now to 
indicate a let-up at any time. Three 
years of increase as at present will make 
it a city of 25.000 population. 

Climatic Conditions* 

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory, 
is situated in latitude 35 degrees, 26 min- 
utes X. ; longitude 97 degrees, 33 minutes 
W.; and at an elevation of 1214 feet 
above sea level. 

The city is located on the north side 
of the Xorth fork of the Canadian river, 
and extends over the river lowland and 
the neighboring bluffs. 

An abundant water supply is afforded 
by the river for -all required purposes. 

The soil ranges from black loam, on 
the lowlands, to a sandy, clayey soil on 
the upland. 

The surrounding country extends to 
the northward, westward, and south- 
ward in wide spreading, rolling prairie, 
and to the eastward in bluffy ridges, 
covered with scrub oak. 

Situated as the city is, far southward 
in latitude, one would naturally suppose 



14 
that excessive heat would prevail during 
the summer season, but such is not the 
fact ; owing to its elevation the nights 
are, as a rule, comfortable cool, while 
the heat of the day is moderate to a 
great extent by the brisk wind almost 
always in movement across the plains, 
which in connection with the dry condi- 
tion of the air causes a low wet bulb or 
sensible temperature affecting the indi- 
vidual. 

During the winter months, owing to 
the fact that the general trend of the 
storm and cold wave paths lies far to 
the northward of this locality, the gen- 
eral wind movement is from the south- 
ward, and from sections heated by the 
more direct rays of the sun; as a result 
the cold winds following the passage of 
the storm areas are greatly tempered as 
they move southward, and the importa- 
tion of cold air from the frozen and 
wintry sections to the northwestward 
is reduced to a minimum; such cold, as 
is carried in, retains its hold but a short 
time over this locality, and is usually 
not more severe than an ordinary winter 
condition over the more northerly por- 
tions of the country. It is a rare thing 
to have the haily avocations interripted 
more than a day or two during a winter 
season. 

Charts of annual precipitation cover- 



15 

ing the period from 1870 to 189*5", iuclu- 
give, show that the precipitation at this 
city compares favorably, in amount, 
with that over northern Missouri, the 
northern portion of the G'hio valley, and 
the Middle States': the same fact hold- 
ing true for the distribution of precipita- 
tion throughout the different seasons of 
the year. 

Eelative to the amount of sunshine, 
the percentage is greater for this local- 
ity by from 10 to 20 per cent, than over 
the above named localities thus bein^r 
more advantage ous for the action of the 
heat of the sun toward forcing to ma- 
turity and development to perfection of 
equivalent crops planted in the different 
localities. 

The normal annual mean temperature 
of Oklahoma City is about the fame as 
that of Fort Smith, Ark.; Chattanooga, 
Tenn.: Charlotte and Raleigh. X. C: 
while that for the month of January 
compares with Springfield, Mo.; Cairo, 
111., and Washington, D. C; that for 
July with Fort Smith, Ark.; Birmingham 
Ala., and Columbia, S. C. 

The minimum mean temperature dur- 
ing July (night),, compares with tho?e 
of Springfield, Mo.; Columbia. Mo., 
Evansville. Ind., Atlanta Ga.. Charlotte, 
N\ C. and Richmond, Va. 

The lowest temperature ever observed, 



16 
17 degrees below zero, compares with 
lowest observed at Fort Smith, Ark., 
Cairo, 111., Knoxville, Term., and Wash- 
ington, D. C. 

The highest ever observed, 104 degrees 
above zero, with that of Topeka, Kan., 
Des Moines, la., Cincinnati, 0., and 
Washington, D. C. 

The year 1898 was about an average 
one over the country, and the following 
comparisons are given between this, and 
other reporting stations, for that period, 
as taken from the annual report of the 
Chief of the Weather Bureau: 





Temperature 










>> 


XI • 








c 


-4-» 


u C 




4 




o 


'o 


CO 




B 


B 


rt 


o 


T-*^ 




3 

B 


B 


-+-» 
& 




°.-a 






c 




i-> Tj 


XTG 


Albany, N. Y 


100 


--12 


38 77 


7 5 


148 


Atlantic City,N. J 


94 


7 


38 68 


11 2 


127 


Baltimore, vjd.... 


104 


10 


36 46 


5 4 


125 


Chattanooga, Ten 


97 


12 


40 47 


7 1 


127 


Chicago, I1L 


94 


-8 


33 77 


17 4 


108 


Cincinnati, O...* 


98 


1 


38 97 


7 8 


133 


Concordia, Kas... 


106 


-5 


20 33 


7 2 


80 


Des Moines, la... 


99 


-10 


28 33 


7 6 


106 


La Cross, Wis 


95 


-19 


23 49 


6 9 


106 


Oklahoma. O. T. 


97 


8 


35 88 


10 6 


77 


Omaha, Neb 


100 


-10 


27 84 


7 9 


96 


Pittsburg, Pa 


99 





35 76 


6 3 


151 


Washington, D. C 


101 


2 


37 72 


6 5 


128 



The records of the Weather Bureau 
show the following summarized data for 
the past ten years: 



17 

The mean annual temperature, in de- 
grees Fahrenheit, was 59.1; the highest 
annual, 61.0 in 1896, and lowest, 57.9 in 
1895; the highest monthly, 83.8 in Au- 
gust 1899, and lowest, 27.4 in February 
1899. 

The maximum temperature was 104 
July 3, 1894, and August 1, 1896, and the 
minimum, 17 below zero, on February 12, 
1899. 

The mean annual precipitation, in in- 
ches and hundredths, was 32.46; the 
highest annual, 43.66 in 1899, and lowest, 
21.90 in 1896; the highest monthly was 
11.90 in May 1892, and the least, 0.06 in 
October 1893, the greatest in 24 consec- 
utive hours, 5.01 on May 3 and 4, 1898. 

The annual average snowfall was 7.7 
inches; greatest, 14.8 in 1895, and least, 
0.2 inch in 1896; the greatest amount in 
24 hours was 6.7 inches on January 17* 
and 18, 1892. 

The average number of clear days was 
211; partly cloudy days, 84; cloudy days, 
69, rainy days, 85. 

The average date of first killing frost 
in Autumn was November 1; last killing 
frost in spring, April 3; first snow in 
winter, December 4; last February 28. 

The prevailing wind direction was 
south. 



18 
TEX YEAR AYEKAGEH 

Temperature Precipitation 

degrees in inches 

January 37.0 1.56 

February 37.7 0.98 

March 48.3 2.24 

April 61.0 2 80 

May 67.8 5.68 

June 75.9 2.89 

July 79.1 4.13 

August 79.0 2.68 

September 73.8 2.82 

October 62.0 2.14 

November 48.0 2.31 

December 39.9 2.23 




19 

Oklahoma City's Banks* 

There are in operation in this city to 
date three banking institutions that are 
the largest in the Territory, and there 
will be established in a few weeks two 
other banks, one of which will be a sav- 
ings institution, backed with ample capi- 
tal and the other will be a bank that will 
have a capital of at least $250,000, and 
possibly $400,000. The scheme of this 
last institution is for the forming of a 
banking institution that will have ample 
capital to handle the paper of the banks 
throughout the two territories that now 
use their correspondents in Kansas City 
and St. Louis to clear such accumulated 
paper as they receive from cattlemen 
and other large borrowers of money. 

The three banks that are in operation 
here at this time are all sterling institu- 
tions and they have deposits that make 
then the strongest institutions of the 
Territory by a number of hundred thou- 
sand of dollars. Their total deposits 
to the close of business on December 13, 
was $1,369,505.57, and the deposits at 
the close of business last Saturday were 
large enough to make the total $1,500,- 
000. This exceeds the total deposits of 
the three banks at Guthrie, the next 
largest city by a total of over $600,000, 
and when it is understood that the Ter- 
ritorial deposits are figured in the total 



20 
of the Guthrie banks and that they 
amount at all times to more than $150,- 
000, it will be seen that the banks here 
will show twice the deposits of the next 
largest city. The following are the de- 
tailed statements of the banks on De- 
cember 13, 1900: 

THE STATE NATIONAL BANK. 
RESOURCES. 

Loans and discounts $516,742.08 

U. S. Bonds 12,937.50 

Stocks, securities, etc 1,028.01 

Furniture and fixtures ...-?.. 1,000.00 

With U. S. treasurer 562.50 

Cash and with banks 231.592.51 

Total $763,862.60 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital stock $ 50,000.00 

Surplus and profits 36,780.74 

Circulation 11,250.00 

Deposits .665,831.86 

Total $763,862.60 

DIRECTORS. 

Edw. H. Cooke, Whit M. Grant, James 
L. Wilkin, Henry Will, L. F. Kramer, F. 
M. Riley, C. E. Bennett and C. F. Col- 
cord. 



21 
WESTERN NATIONAL BANK. 
Capital, $50,000.00. Undivided profits, 

$25,000.00. 

OFFICERS. 
M. L. Turner, President; F. R. Holt, 

Cashier; C. M. Bosworth, xlssistant 

Cashier. 

DIRECTORS. 
George A. Metcalfe, Capitalist, Kansas 

City, Mo.; J. A. Ryan, Surgeon A. T. & 

S. F. Ry.; Eugene Wallace, Capitalist; 

A. L. Frick, Railway Constructor; M. L. 

Turner, President. 

Condensed report to the Comptroller 

of the Currency of the condition of The 

Western National Bank, Oklahoma City, 

O. T., at the close of business, December 

13, 1900: 

Loans and discounts $166,489.48 

Securities, warrants, etc 37,629.53 

Furniture and fixtures 1,295.00 

U. S. Bonds and pre- 
miums 171,150.00 

Cash and sight ex- 
change 249,725.62 

420,875.62. 



Total $626,289.63 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital stock $ 50,000.00 

Undivided profits, net 30,975.19 

Cidculation 50.000.00 



22 
Deposits 495,314.44 



Total . . $626,289.63 

F. R. HOLT, Cashier, 
Opened for business January 3, 1899. 



THE BANK OF COMMERCE. 
Resources of this institution at the 
close of business December 19th, as fol- 
lows : 

Loans and discounts $141,015.78 

Real estate, furniture, etc. . . 895.02 

Cash and sight exchange .... 95,830.13 
Revenue stamps 510.93 

Total . $238,251.86 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital stock $ 25,000.00 

Surplus and profits 4,894.59 

Deposits 208,357.27 

Total $238,251.86 

The officers are Jas. H. Wheeler, Presi- 
dent; J. H. Everest, Vice President; C. 
H. Everest, Cashier, and O. L. Avey, As- 
sistant Cashier. 

Directors are J. H. Wheeler, J. B. 
Wheeler, J. H. Everest, C. H. Everest, D. 
T. Flynn and Richard Avey. 

This bank is organized under the Ter- 
ritorial banking law and it is one of the 
most popular banking institutions in the 
city and has a large clientage amoiig the 



23 
merchants here. The management is con- 
servative and gives confidence. 

THE NEW SAVINGS BANK. 

The Oklahoma City Savings Bank has 
been incorporated under the laws of the 
Territory by H. D. Price, J. P. Allen, W. 
S. Hansen, F. P. Johnson, S. S. Allen and 
Geo. H. Willis, and will be open for busi- 
ness in about two weeks at 133 Main 
street, and will be conducted there until 
such a time as better and more suitable 
quarters can be secured. 

The capital of the bank is fifteen thou- 
sand dollars. 

The bank will pay 4 per cent interest 
on all time deposits left six months and 
5 per cent interest if left one year. Five 
per cent will be paid on all savings de- 
posited which will be compounded twice 
a year. 



24 

Statistical Comparisons* 

There is no better way of comparing 
towns than by comparing the business 
they do. Oklahoma City claims to do 
more business in proportion to her popu- 
lation than any other city in the United 
States. As proof of this statement we 
present herewith some comparisons: 

Up to December 1, Oklahoma City had 
issued 19,046 money orders; Guthrie, 10,- 
994; Corsicana, Texas, 16,172; Wichita, 
Kansas, 17,762; St. Joe, Mo., 25,942; Jop- 
lin, Mo., 21,686; Nevada, Mo., 8,800; 
Joliet, 111., 11,115. 

The numbering in all of the offices be- 
gan in September two years ago for tha 
quarter beginning October 1, the Okla- 
homa City postoffice had on December 
22, registered 1,503 letters and packages; 
Denison, Texas, had up to that day reg- 
istered 683; Leavenworth, Kansas, 1,394. 
On December 24, the Oklahoma City- 
postoffice had registered 1,563; Guthrie, 
1,022; Wichita, 1,368; Waco, Texas, 1,- 
023; Emporia, Kansas, 736; Joplin, Mo., 
1,196; Nevada, Mo., 1,192; Bloomington, 
111., 1,980. 

On December 13th the comptroller of 
the treasury and the territorial bank 
examiner called for reports from banks. 
These statements show that the Okla- 
homa City banks held at that time 






25 

369,505, and that the banks of Guthrie 
held $799,967. 

The receipts from the sale of stamps, 
stamped envelopes, postals and periodi- 
cals amounted to $2,946 at the Oklaho- 
ma City postoffice for the month of No- 
vember; at the Guthrie office the re- 
ceipts for November were $1,900. 

The Western Union Telegraph com- 
pany has ten employees at Oklahoma 
City and four at Guthrie. 

The railways report that six times as 
much business is done here as at Guth- 
rie. 

The above comparisons were not se- 
lected because they showed Oklahoma 
City in the most favorable light, but be- 
cause they were the only comparisons 
obtainable. 



"Why Oklahoma is Prosperous* 

Since the chief industry" of Oklahoma 
is agriculture, the character of its soil 
its rainfall and other conditions affecting 
crops are of supreme importance. By an 
examination of an atlas one finds that 
Oklahoma's altitude is that of Tennes- 
see; therefore its climate is mild without 
the enervating conditions of perpetual 
summer. A further examination of the 
atlas will call to mind the fact that it 
lies midway between the Great Mississip- 



26 
pi river and the Great Rocky mountains, 
is watered and drained by innumerable 
streams, and that the general trend is 
southeast. It will also be noted that 
the atlas shows a group of mountains in 
the southwest corner of the Territory. 
For further information the inquirer 
must look to recent publications, for the 
Territory is too young to appear in any 
but the very latest editions of encyclo- 
pedias. 

The Territory if put into square form 
would be about 200 miles square. The 
greater part of the surface is rolling 
prairie, with timber distributed through- 
out the Territory along the water cours- 
es, and also upon the uplands, about 
twenty per cent of the surface being 
covered with timber. The soil varies 
from a deep, black, heavy loam to a light 
sandy soil, the subsoil everywhere being 
clay. The soil is free from boulders or 
rock outcropping®, the cultivated area 
being mostly prairie, is of course free 
from stumps also. The soil is generally 
excellent upon the uplands as well as 
the valleys, although, as is the case in 
most parts of the world, the valleys are 
the most valuable portions. The upland 
timber is most plentiful on the east side 
but is found also on the extreme west- 
ern side in area, running from a square 
mile to a township of thirty-six square 



27 
miles. The upland timber soil is a sandy 
loam which the first settlers, especially 
those from the north, took to be infer- 
ior to the prairie soils, but which is prov- 
ing the most valuable in the Territory 
because it is suitable and conductive to 
diversification of crops. 

The Territory is admirably watered 
with innumerable streams, generally of 
pure, wholesome water. The surface is 
sufficiently undulating to make drainage 
perfect, yet not so cut up by deep water 
courses and high divides as to interfere 
with* agriculture. The soil of the val- 
leys generally contains enough sand to 
keep it friable and to avoid stagnant 
pools of water. 

CLIMATIC CONDITIONS FAVORABLE. 

A country might be fair to look 
upon, the soil might be ten feet deep and 
the surface covered with a coating of 
gress, yet be unfit for general agricul- 
ture, because of a deficiency of rainfall 
and the prevalence of hot, blighting 
winds. The prospective settler is inter- 
ested in knowing whether such adverse 
conditions prevail in Oklahoma. There 
are three indisputable proofs now that 
such adverse climatic conditions do not 
exist in Oklahoma. 

The first proof that we shall use to 
show that the rainfall is generous and 



28 
fairly distributed throughout the year 
is the presence of upland forests extend- 
ing to the extreme western limits of the 
Territory. Forest trees can not exist 
on uplands without rainfall nor can they 
withstand long drouth periods. Rainfall 
that will cause an oak tree to thrive 
will produce wheat, cotton, corn, kaffir 
and fruits. Kansas has no upland for- 
ests west of Topeka. The fact that the 
Oklahoma upland forests extend 200 
miles farther westward is indicative of 
a greater rainfall and a more even distri- 
bution than in Kansas. This is nature's 
method of showing what the climatic 
conditions have been for at least one 
hundred years past. 

The United States weather bureau 
has maintained a station at Oklahoma 
City for eleven years during which time 
every detail of climate has been noted. 
By a perusal of Director Strong' 3 arti- 
cle upon the climate of Oklahoma which 
appears elsewhere in this issue it will be 
seen that the rainfall is abundant and 
very evenly distributed throughout the 
year. Occasionally a critic expresses 
the belief that more rain is required to 
make a crop here than in higher lati- 
tudes where the winters are longer and 
the summers shorter. These critics base 
their statements upon theory alone wit 
out practical knowledge of condition 



: 



29 
Compare Minnesota with Oklahoma. 
Minnesota's soil freezes early in Novem- 
ber and remains sealed up until the he- 
ginning of April — five months. Upon 
this frozen earth about five-twelfths of 
the precipitation of the year falls in the 
form of snow. So far as saturating the 
earth is concerned this precipitation is 
wasted, for the snows melt and the 
water drains off into the creeks and 
rivers before the earth thaws out. caus- 
ing damaging floods without benefitting 
the crops. In Oklahoma neither snow 
nor rain falls upon frozen ground. The 
earth is sometimes frozen for a week or 
ten days at a stretch, but the climatic 
conditions necessary to produce rainfall 
or snow will thaw the frozen ground 
within a few hours. This is one of the 
most fortunate conditions for agricul- 
ture in Oklahoma. Fully nine-tenths of 
the winter rainfall goes into the earth 
in the cultivated fields. Thus is stored 
up a surplus of water in the subsoil upon 
which crops draw during the hot sum- 
* mer months. These are merely general- 
izations of conditions in Oklahoma as 
compared with other portions of the Mis- 
sissippi valley. 

Perhaps the most convincing proof 
that crops can be successfully and pro- 
fitably grown is evidence that agricul- 
ture has been pur&aed with profit fcr a 



30 
long period in the region under discus- 
sion. Only those who have had the i::c'- 
dent fixed in their minds by local events 
realize that Oklahoma has been settled 
twelve years. Twelve years of continu- 
ous cultivation ought to be pretty fair 
test of a country's fruitfulness. Those 
contemplating the purchase of farms or 
investments in the towns of Oklahoma 
are naturally hungry for information 
concerning the twelve crop years since 
the settlement in 1889. Put a farmer 
upon a raw piece of land and the result 
of his labors for the first year will not 
affect statistics, for he will have neither, 
grain, fruit nor stock to put upon the 
market. His marketings the second year 
will also be meaner, although during 
those two years he has made substantial 
progress in putting his farm in diape to 
grow grain and keep stock. He has 
planted an orchard which in time will 
bring him valuable market products as 
well as table luxuries. But he does not 
yet appear in the world's statistics be- 
cause he has added nothing to the 
world's commerce. He appears in the 
crop statistics for the first time prob- 
ably after the third harvest season. He 
has wheat and cotton to market. Being 
in a new country and remote from rail- 
ways he raises only enough corn to feed 
his herds. Hogs multiply quickly and 



31 
the third season he probably possesses 
a few more than necessary to supply his 
family needs. Cattle being high-priced 
animals he starts with but a cow or two. 
He has not a surplus the third season, 
and probably will not have for three or 
four more years. Being a new country 
and the towns small there is little or no 
market for poultry, butter and eggs. 
Hence he keeps only enough poultry to 
supply his family needs and his cows are 
set to the task of producing big thrifty 
calves. After three years he is still press- 
ed for ready cash, for his surplus of la- 
bor has been absorbed in farm better- 
ments and the increase in his herds has 
been added to his working capital. His 
surplus wheat has gone to build neces- 
sary bins, sheds and fences which his 
limited capital made impossible when he 
went upon the place. In all probability 
his farm will absorb everything for an- 
other three years, notwithstanding he 
has become a factor in the world's com- 
merce. He is not a ready reckoner of 
per cents. He is not in the habit of pre- 
paring balance sheets, and estimatinp; 
the increase or decrease in the value of 
this or that part of his capital. His pur~e 
is chronically empty, hence he is apt to 
murmur, and to* vote against the govern- 
ment. But in spite of a definite work- 
ing plan there comes a time, if he is in- 



dustrious and frugal, when there is no 
longer a crying necessity for additions 
to his capital stock. His farm is fenced, 
the pasture separated from the cultivat- 
ed fields, and an ample pasture is pro- 
vided for his h*gs. His barn is big 
enough to house his stock, and store his 
grain and forage. His house has been 
expanded and filled with furniture. Then 
this farmer realizes for the first time 
that he has made substantial progress. 
When he reaches that stage, give him 
two or three good crops, and you will 
find him dickering with his neighbor for 
an adjoining eighty. While this farmer 
is undergoing the hardships of a new 
farm on a frontier, towns are springing 
up and railways invade the region. A 
demand springs up for butter and eggs 
and poultry. Poultry buyers invade the 
region bringing a steady market. The 
farmer's wife increases her flocks and 
looke more carefully after the eggs. The 
calves are weaned and butter-making be- 
comes an industry on that farm. Inquir- 
ies are made for vegetables and taking 
a hint from the demand, potatoes, sweet 
potatoes and many other small crops are 
planted and marketed at the thriving 
near-by town. To the farmer's surprise 
these little crops support his family. 
His big crops are, above the cost of 
harvesting, all profit. His herds are 





HOMA COUNT 











. m 


W: 





5y courtesy of the Santa Fe Route. 



STREET SCENE, NEWKIRK, 




By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route* 

A TYPICAL LANDSCAPE IN FAIR OKLAHOMA. 



33 
crowding him for room, so the time has 
come to turn off some of his animals. 
The orchard, too, has reached an age to 
give returns, and big red apples form 
part of each cargo which departs from 
that farm during the fall months. The 
farmer keeps neither an expense account 
nor does he attempt to determine the 
profit or loss in this or that particular 
crop or industry, but he knows full well 
that he is getting on in the world; 
plethora has taken the place of chronic 
emptiness in his purse. He starts a 
bank account and proudly draws a check 
to pay the publisher of the county pa- 
per he has read through weal and woe 
without ever a thought of how the poor 
publisher managed to exist. 

Apply this story of the individual to 
Oklahoma and the story of the Terri- 
tory's progress is told. The Territory has 
passed through every vicissitude that in- 
dividual farmer has. It is now enjoying 
the affluence that the frugal and indus- 
trious farmer so justly merits after ten 
or twelve years of steady work upon a 
rich quarter section of land. 

All other portions of America have 
progressed in the same way that Okla- 
homa has. The striking difference be- 
tween Oklahoma's advancement and the 
early history of many other portions of 
America is in the far more rapid ad« 



34 
vancement of Oklahoma. Its rapid ad- 
vancement is due to its exceptionally 
favorable climatic conditions, and the 
fact that it was peopled from every part 
of the nation. The lowans went south 
to escape the rigors of winter and an 
all -corn cropping. The Dakotan came to 
Oklahoma because he was tired of stak- 
ing everything on wheat, and the Missis- 
sippian came north to Oklahoma to find 
a more healthful climate and to escape 
the all-cotton method of farming. The 
result was a wider diversity of cropping 
than was ever attempted in any other 
country under the sun. Fortunately the 
climate and soil gave encouragement to 
the diversification idea. The results are 
the most satisfactory. Marketing con- 
tinues the year round, and if one crop 
is short, as occasionally happens, the 
farmer is not seriously hurt for he has 
other crops to fall back upon. If his 
corn crop is short he has oats, kaffir and 
alfalfa to feed his stock upon. In twelve 
years not more than one of these crops 
has been short at the same time. He 
need never sacrifice his stock for lack 
of feed. The mild winters make stock 
raising more profitable than in the 
north. Winter wheat gives pasturage 
for horses, cattle and hogs all winter 
long, thus reducing the cost of their 
keep fully twenty-five per cent. Alfalfa 



35 

takes the place of timothy and clover, 
yields double the forage and has the 
same value as a stock food. Cotton 
growing adds an important stock fatten- 
ing article in the shape of cotton seed 
meal, the seed from three acres affording 
meal enough to fatten a steer, the hulls 
being used in the place of forage. 

THE GRAIN CROPS. 

Wheat stands first in value among the 
.grain crop productions of Oklahoma. 
The yield has varied from six bushels to 
fifty bushels per acre, the average being 
near eighteen bushels. The quality is 
excellent, both hard and soft wheat le- 
ing raised. Oklahoma wheat and Okla- 
homa flour took first premium at the 
Chicago world's fair. All wheat grown in 
Oklahoma is of the winter variety. It 
is sown at any time from September 15th 
to December 1st, and ripens about June 
1st. The farmer has more than four 
months for the preparation of the 
ground and seeding. The growing wheat 
has with only two exceptions afforded 
excellent pasturage during the winter 
and it is calculated that the value of the 
pasture is equal to the cost of plowing, 
sowing and the seed. During twelve 
years Oklahoma experienced but one 
complete failure of wheat. Every year 
an occasional field gives a low yield due 



36 
to local causes usually. Rust injured 
some of the wheat in 1898, and 1899. re- 
ducing the quality somewhat. Chinch 
bugs have done no damage to speak of, 
and the Hessian fly has not made its ap- 
pearance here yet. Wheat can be grown 
here for thirty cents a bushel, and all 
- over that sum is profit. This estimate, 
however, applies only to the farmer who 
has herds to utilize the winter pasture. 
The price here is about the same as is 
paid at Kansas City, as all wheat in Ok- 
lahoma goes to Galveston for export. 
The total yield for the Territory is ap- 
proximately thirty million bushels. * 

Oats crops have varied widely in yields 
ranging from twenty bushels up to 120 
bushels per acre. The crop has been pro- 
fitable to those who have facilities for 
feeding stock. 

Barley has been little grown, but re- 
cently farmers have commenced to grow 
this crop, preferring it to oats. The 
yield is about the same in number of 
pounds as oats. 

Corn has had a varied experience as 
it has in all localities, given bountiful 
returns one year and but scant returns 
the next. While corn can be said to be 
one of the chief grain crops, we do not 
believe that it will throughout the Terri- 
tory yield as well as in Iowa or Illinois, 
but in those portions where corn grow- 



37 

ing would perhaps be unprofitable, kaffir 
is a most excellent substitute. There is 
a great future in store for kaffir, and 
in the near future we confidently expect 
it to displace corn over a wide area 
south of central Kansas where the sea- 
son is long enough to bring it to matur- 
ity. It yields as well as corn does in 
Missouri and its qualities as a stock 
food are about the same as corn. It 
is as easily gathered as corn. 

OKLAHOMA'S COTTON CROPS. 

Oklahoma has never experienced a 
failure of cotton, although the average 
yield has varied from 140 pounds to 382 
pounds per acre. The price has varied 
from five to nine cents. The yield this 
year, according to the government re- 
port, is the highest in the United States 
— 382 pounds — and the price is nine 
cents. Consequently, there is unusual 
prosperity. For every pound of cotton 
produced there is«a yield of two pounds 
of seed for which the farmer gets ten to 
twelve dollars per ton. From the seed 
is extracted cotton seed oil, a ton yield- 
ing thirty to forty gallons of oil, 700 to 
750 pounds of meal, 700 to 750 pounds 
of hulls, besides a quantity of short lint 
cotton used in the manufacture of cot- 
ton batting. 

The yield for 1899 in the Territory was 



38 
130,000 bales, and it is estimated that 
the 1900 crop will reach 200,000 bales, of 
500 pounds each, the crop including the 
seed being valued at $10,000,000. ^he 
cotton in Oklahoma is grown by -mail 
farmers in connection with other crops. 
No machinery whatever is needed to 
produce the crop. 

ALFALFA AND OTHER FORAGE 
CROPS. 

Alfalfa in Oklahoma takes the place 
of timothy and clover. It is cut three 
times during the season and yields from 
three to four tons per acre. Its food 
value is the same as red clover. It is 
more difficult to get started, but when 
once well set in a field it is proof against 
cold or drouth. 

Kaffir and cane are also extensively 
sown for forage. The farmers are now 
beginning to sow small fields to wheat 
solely for pasturage. Stock is turned in- 
to these pastures in March about the 
time the wheat begins' to joint and are 
kept in this pasture until May or June, 
thus supplementing the prairie grass 
pasture. 

OTHER CROPS. 

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts and 
melons are grown in large quantities and 
the income from this source is quite 



39 
large. All garden vegetables grow pro- 
lificacy and are raised in quantities to 
supply all local demands. 

OKLAHOMA AS A FRUIT COUNTRY. 

The prediction was freely made when 
Oklahoma was settled that apples would 
not thrive here. Those glaamy predic- 
tions, however, did not deter many from 
planting orchards. Nearly every farmer 
put out a small orchard, and many com- 
mercial orchards were also put out. The 
northern people were determined to test 
the apple question for they did not care 
to remain here if apples could not be 
raised. The test has been made and the 
results have astonished everyone. Not 
only has it been proved that apples can 
be grown here, but apples of extraordin- 
ary size and quality. Last fall for three 
months the home grown apples supplied 
the trade at Oklahoma City. Then the 
supply ran out and apples were import- 
ed. To the surprise of all, they were 
inferior in size and quality to the home 
grown ones. The yield in those or- 
chards now in bearing has been excel- 
lent. 

Everybody prophesied that peaches 
and plums would thrive here, so no one 
was astonished when the peach and plum 
orchards began to supply as fine fruit 
as ever grew. The country, too, was 



40 
believed to be especially adapted to 
grape culture. The expectations of the 
experts have been fully realized both in 
the yield- and quality of fruit. Every 
variety grown in America outside of Cal- 
ifornia does well in Oklahoma. The 
grape industry has already taken a lead- 
ing place among the industries of the 
Territory. 

MANUFACTURING IN OKLAHOMA. 

As .has been the case in other -places, 
manufacturing has not been given much 
attention, although at present there is 
an awakening to the importance of 
building up factories which will make 
use of our raw products. Fine flour 
mills are scattered over the Territory, 
cotton gins are numerous, and six large 
cotton seed oil mills and three cotton 
compresses are in operation. Brick fac- 
tories are in operation in every town, 
and in the large places foundries, ma- 
chine shops, planing mills and saw mills 
have been established. Factories for the 
manufacture of coarse cotton fabrics 
would do well here. 



41 

An Absorbing Tale* 

It is an absorbing tale which is told 
by Governor Barnes in his annual report 
upon the condition of Oklahoma. As we 
know from the census returns, Oklahoma 
has a population of 368,000. The gover- 
nor tells us that the assessed valuation 
of her property in 1900 is, in round fig- 
ures, $49,000,000, an increase of $6,000,- 
000 over 1899, and within her limits 
there are almost 6,000,000 acres of public 
lands subject to entry. The $49,000,000 
of taxable valuation represents $135,000,- 
000 of actual value of property. The 
products of her farms, mines and facto- 
ries in the fiscal year aggregated $75,- 
000,000. She has 100,000 children enrol- 
led in her public schools with 2,000 in 
the higher educational institutions. 

Here are a few of the material facts 
of the condition- of Oklahoma. They 
furnish a powerful argument for her im- 
mediate admission to statehood. These 
are some of the superficial facts in con- 
nection with a locality which was not 
opened to settlement until 1889, and 
which was not organized into a territory 
until 1890. Until twelve years ago Ok- 
lahoma was virtually a vacant spot on 
the map. Eager pioneers had been veer- 
ing into Oklahoma for years before 1889, 
and some of them— Payne, Couch and 
many others, crossed its boundaries and 



42 
established settlements in it, but they 
were ousted by United States troops and 
it was made practically vacant land, as 
before. A minute before noon of April 
22, 1889, the instant of the opening, 
there was not a single inhabitant in Ok- 
lahoma. It contained 50,000 by sundown 
of that day. Such a deluge had never 
been seen before since the world began. 

One of the most remarkable features 
of Oklahoma's growth are its symmetry 
and solidity. Scores of towns were 
stakes out before sunset. Schools and 
churches began to make their appearance 
next day. Twelve months after the 
opening President Harrison put his sig- 
nature to the bill creating the Territory 
of Oklahoma. The Territory, which had 
61,000 inhabitants in 1890, has 398,000 
in 1900 — or rather had that many on 
June 1st this year. The population has 
passed the 400,000 mark by this time. 
Nothing in Arabia's tales of enchant- 
ment surpasses the peopling of the prair- 
ies and forests of Oklahoma. 



Labor Organizations* 

One of the elements that enter into 
the successful operations of all trades is 
intelligent action of the laborers and in 
no city in the country is this better ex- 
emplified than in this city. There has 



43 
never been a strike here, though the la- 
boring men are better organized than in 
the majority of the cities of the country. 
There is a perfect union of nearly every 
line of trade, but the slight differences 
that have arisen have always been set- 
tled with arbitration and no stoppage of 
work. 

The several unions are amalgamated 
into a Central Trades and Labor Assem- 
bly, and that which concerns one con- 
cerns all. There are in the allied trader 
nearly 1500 members, and their organiza- 
tions are as follows: 

CENTRAL TRADES AND LABOR AS- 
SEMBLY— Meets every Thursday night 
at Labor Hall. Wm. R. Walters, Pjw£; 
Chas. Evans. Cor. Sec; A. Weems, Busi- 
ness Agent. 

OKLAHOMA CITY TYPOGRAPHI- 
CAL UNION NO 283.— Meets first Sun- 
day in each month at Labor Hall. N. 7. 
Milton, Pres.; H. G. Jennings, Sec. 

CARPENTERS AND JOINERS— Local 
Union No. 276. Meets every Tuesday 
night at Labor Hall. A. Weems, Pres.; 
J. L. Stinson, Cor. Sec. 

JOURNEYMEN STONE CUTTERS 
ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA. 
— Meets first and fourth Tuesdays hi 
each month at Labor Hall. I. C. Power, 
Acting Pies.: C. Findlayson, Cor. Sec. 



44 

JOURNAYMEN BARBERS INTER- 
NATIONAL UNION OF AMERICA. - 
Meets first Tuesday after the first- ftiid 
after the 15th. H. J. Miller, Pres.; E. 
€. Dickerson, Cor. Sec. 

BARTENDERS UNION.— Meets first 
and third Tuesdays in every month at 
Labor Hall. Sam Fairbanks, Pres.; D. 
Boismier, Acting Sec. 

COOKS AND WAITERS UNION.— 
Meets every Tuesday night at Labor 
Hall. Louis Bachter, Acting Pres.; Har- 
ry Riddle, Cor. Sec. 

LATHERS UNION.— Meets second and 
third Sundays in the month at Labor 
Hall. W. S. Mitchell, Pres.; E. L. 
Schultz, Cor. Sec. 

CIGAR MAKERS UNION.— Meets 
first and fourth Mondays at Labor Hall. 
L. C. Huey, Pres.; F. A. Young,. Cor. 
Sec. 

BUILDING INTERNATIONAL PRO- 
TECTIVE UNION OF AMERICA.— 

Meets first and third Fridays of each 
month. Sam Washington, Pres.; C. S. 
Davis, Cor. Sec. 

RETAIL CLERKS UNION NO. 355.— 
Meets every Wednesday night at Labor 
Hall. G. Burnes, Pres.; Paul Carey, 
Cor. Sec. 

PAINTERS AND DECORATORS LO- 
CAL UNION NO. 45.— Meets every Fri- 



45 
day night. C. E. Evans, Pres.; Guy Conk- 
lin, Rec. Sec. 

BUTCHERS UNION" NO. 92.— Meets 
every first and third Wednesday of each 
month. J. L. Ladd, Pres.; H. C. Schil- 
ling, Rec. Sec. 

UNITED BROTHERHOOD LEATHER 
WORKERS UNION.— Meets twice a 
month. W. H. Smith, Pres.; G. Babcock, 
Cor. Sec. 

TINNERS LOCAL UNION NO. 124.— 
Meets first and third Wednesday nights 
at Labor Hall. E. Erisman, Pres.; 
James Nye, Cor. Sec. 

INTERNATIONAL BRICKLAYERS 
UNION NO. 1, OF OKLAHOMA CITY.— 
Meets every Monday night at Labor 
Hall. Gene Smith, Pres.; J. G. Kennedy, 
Cor. Sec. 

PLASTERERS INTERNATIONAL 

PROTECTIVE" ASSOCIATION NO. 170. 
— Meets every Monday night at Labor 
Hall. C. France, Pres.; G. B. Gibson, 
Cor. Sec. 

STONE MASONS UNION NO. 1.— 
Meets first Monday in each month. C. 
Ramage, Pres.; Mr. Bales, Cor. Sec. 

The parent- labor organization of un- 
ionism in the city is the Typographical 
Union which was founded about eight 
years ago and which is one of the strong- 
est organizations in the city to-day. 



46 

The Laws and Taxes, 

The laws of Oklahoma are patterned 
after the laws of the Central Mississippi 
valley states. The Territorial, county, 
and township, school district and city or- 
ganizations are the same as in Kansas, 
Iowa and the Dakotas. The laws gener- 
ally are about the same. 

The Territory is as self-governing as 
the states except in the selection of gov- 
ernor, secretary, and the judges of the 
district courts. All county, and lower 
officers, as well as all city officers are 
elective. The legislature consists of a 
senate and assembly, both elective. 

The United States pays all legislative 
expenses, the salaries of the governor, 
secretary and the judges. All other ex- 
penses are met by taxation. 

The property is assessed at about one- 
third of its value, and the tax levy will 
vary from about one per cent to tour 
per cent. 

The taxes in Oklahoma county are 
nine mills, and the Territorial tax levy 
is five mills. 

Oklahoma Territory has a bonded 
debt of $48,000 and a floating debt of 
about $300,000. Oklahoma county is 
bonded for $122,000. Oklahoma City is 
bonded for $228,000, but it has an in- 
come from its waterworks plant and its 



47 
city hall which will not only keep up all 
of the interest but will provide a sink- 
ing fund sufficient to meet the bonds as 
they come due. 



General Agents* 

Oklahoma City has become headquar- 
ters for all the insurance adjustors and 
general agents for the two terri- 
tories. It has been impossible to ascer- 
tain just how many there are, but they 
form an important element. They are 
well paid and are active, enterprising 
men. 

A dozen or more merchandise brokers 
do business in this city. The business 
is growing, and a large commercial stor- 
age warehouse is now in course of con- 
struction to accommodate this class of 
business. 

So importanfhas the business develop- 
ment of Oklahoma become that Brad- 
street's Commercial Agency found it ne- 
cessary to put a branch agency at this 
place. The agency employs a manager 
and a half dozen clerks. 



Spend Many Thousands* 

Among the principal elements that go 
to make this city the best in the Terri- 
tory and one of the best of its size in 



48 
the whole country, is the great number 
of traveling men that not only make this 
city their headquarters, but who have 
their families and make this • city their 
home. There are by actual count from 
the pages of the directory, 298 traveling 
men whose families reside here and they 
compose a class of citizens that probably 
do more than any other single class to 
make Oklahoma City what it is in the 
minds of the people of this and the other 
states and territories contiguous. 

Besides this large number which does 
not include the men engaged in iife in- 
surance and other forms of solicitation 
that is not traveling men that live here, 
but who reside at the hotels or boarding 
places. There are about twenty who are 
engaged in other forms of business who 
are traveling from this city most of the 
time, and who are eligible to belong- to 
some of the organizations that the trav- 
elers have formed. 

The total, when all who are traveling 
men are found, will approximate at least 
300 to 350 and every one of them is in 
receipt of a salary of at least $1,000 per 
year and the average will probably be 
nearer $1,500 per year, and this would 
make at the latter average a grand total 
of $370,000 that is received in salaries 
by the traveling men that live in Okla- 
homa City. They also receive an expense 




CHURCH AT PERRY. 




By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route* 

KING COTTON AND HIS FAITHFUL SUBJECTS. 



49 
account that is no small part of their 
receipts and expenditures here. For the 
transfer of themselves and their baggage 
from the depots to the hotels, homes, 
etc., at least $25,000 is spent and there 
are other items that make a large sum. 

It is safe to say, that the traveling 
men who make Oklahoma City their 
homes, have an expenditure here each 
year of $400,000, and this is more money 
paid out for wages than a factory em- 
ploying 1,000 men would pay. Not only 
do the travelers get as much money as a 
thousand other laboring men. would re- 
ceive, but they are the class of people 
who spend their money and it is safe to 
state they spend more money in the city 
than a thousand factory employees 
would spend. And the traveling men 
that this city has in its borders are real 
estate purchasers besides, and a great 
number of them own their own homes 
and have property for rent. 

The U. C. T. Lodge here has since its 
organization, initiated over 200 members 
and there are quite a number of men 
here who are eligible to membership that 
have not joined and there are still others 
who are members of the T. P. A. which 
is the designation of the other great 
traveling men's order. The estimate 
that is made above is not large in any 
particular and the fact is that there are 



50 

more travelers who make their head- 
quarters here than an estimate can be 
made to include. At the hotels there 
are a great many who are not found in 
the directory. The hotels were seen by 
the directory. The hotels were seen by 
a reporter and in answer to the 
question, "How many traveling men 
make your house a headquarters the 
year around and make their trips 
from here with your hotel as their 
permanent address?" The North Side 
was the first visited and Mrs. Aufricht 
said: "The last figure that we made was 
but a few days ago, and there were then 
75 traveling men that practically make 
this house their homes, and who not on- 
ly have their mail here, but who are in 
the house often. Some of them reach 
here two and three times a week; some 
once a week and some are in four or five 
days every month." At the Grand Ave- 
nue, Manager Fred Myer said: "There is 
any way fifty that I consider make this 
house their home and possibly there are 
more.'' At the Lee, Chief Clerk Groves 
said: "We have only been open a short 
time and of course the business that you 
ask about is one that grows steadily, 
and while we have only about forty that 
we can sonsider as inhabitants of this 
hostelry, Ave are getting them every 
week, and we will keep right on getting 



51 
them. The only trouble that we have 
in the world is that our house is too 
small and the Lee will have to raise at 
least two more stories to accommodate 
the traveling men that we are getting/'' 

At the Windsor twenty-five were re- 
ported as being regular patrons of the 
house every week. 

The traveling men are engaged all the 
time in doing something to build up the 
place where they live and everyone of 
them, first, last and all the time, insists 
and proves that the place where he lives 
is ttie best town on earth and that there 
are no other burgs that are in it. As 
an advertisement of Oklahoma City they 
forever spread the advantages of this 
city throughout the length and breadth 
of the territory that they cover and 
they cover lots of ground in the year. 

The traveling men want something of 
Oklahoma City, and that is: They want 
some assistance some day in the building 
here of a magnificent home for their or- 
ganization and a building that will make 
this city the greatest convention citv in 
the Southwest. They are subscribing 
their money to the stock of a convention 
hall building company, and after they 
have subscribed all that they care to in- 
vest they can rest assured that the citi- 
zens of Oklahoma City will go away 
Sown in their "jeans" and dig up the 



52 

amount that will then be needed to car- 
ry into effect all their plans. 

The following is a list of the traveling 
men that make this city their homes. 
The list is incomplete, because of there 
being quite a number who live at the 
several hotels and whose names could 
not be secured for this edition: 

Martin Lampheimer, Theo. F. Hard- 
wood, Fred. R. Stephenson, Thos. R. 
Smallwood, Harry G. Van Antwerp, L. C. 
Van Antwerp, John H. W. Arden, Fred 
R. Stephenson, John W. McAnaly, Baron 
C. Honsell, W. E. Hocker, F. E. Hum- 
phreys, R. F. Humphreys^ R. L. Hane*, 
W. S. Hauson, S. P. Anchor, Chas. S. 
Booton, J. E. Bailey, H. E. Baker, W. C. 
Ballard, M. A. Benton, A. E. Baker, O. W 
Buck, O. C. Bowers, C. E. Bowman. J. 

A. Butler, R. B. Browder, Sol Barth, E. 
L. Bennet, W. L. Brooks, W. C. Brady, 
J. A. Conover, F. E. Champion, S. A. 
Cherry, W. D. Clark, H. C. Crittendan, 

B. V. Cummins, J. U. Carson, A. E. Co- 
muse, J. H. Clark, F. H. Carroll, G, W. 
Carrico, E. C. Cook, W. P. Conger, H. W. 
Clegern, C. W. Durand, W. F. Danvers, 
1ST. S. Darling, A. G. Slam, E. P. Flagg, H. 
Fields, H. D. Fortner, Amos Gipson, W. 
L. Garver, G. E. Gardner, Chas. F. Grs- 
tasen, Jas, A. Garlick, B. C. HouseL F. P. 
Halsell, Allen M. Hall, W. Horn. MoVs 
Hall, Wm. Hightower, H. R. Hoffman. 



53 

H. H. Hene, J. W. Hainline, S. C. Hey- 
man, E. P. Jaillette, W. B. House, J. E. 
Jackson, E. A. Jacobs, W. G. A. Jonte, 
S. J. Jackson, J. H. Knox, M. C. Jones, 
E. J. Leach, L. C. None, Jacob Leon, T. 
L. Lord, C. G. Lowery, H. N. Leonard, 
S. G. Laughlin, J. M. Luke, E. S. Marx, 
A. E. Mize, D. E. Martin, James Marri- 
uan, Jno. A. Moore, H. R. Hicks, G. E. 
Massey, J. A. Metcalfe, W. H. H. Miller, 
W. L. Markwell, A. T. Murphy, H. V. 
Murphy, M. S. Miller, Joseph Marrinan, 
0. M. Mead, E. H. Maupin, J. W. Mc- 
Eolks, J. W. McClintic, C. H. Minteer, 
Geo. J. McCann, J. A. McElhinney, W. J. 
McPhee, Wm. McMullen, J. J. McEachin, 
J. C. McKean, J. E. McClung 3 R. S. 
O'Brien, C. C. Needham, Vernon Putnam, 
Emil Otto, F. J. Pemberton, J. W. Pryer, 
J. F. Pemberton, W. H. Pitts, M. A. 
Pryer, C. B. Pape, Jno. F. Quinn, W. L. 
Payne, W. H. Peed, J. F. Rice, A. L>. 
Rogers, W. S. Rouse, J. H. Hoher, C. E. 
Reeble, Maurice L. Smith, J. M. Stumpff, 
Jasper Sipes, G. C. Sohlberg, J. A. Ccott, 
Abe Simon, Fred W. Smith, J. W. Shields, 
D. F. Solliday, Jno. J. ShaAV, Frank Ul- 
rich, B. C. Underhill, J. A. Welsh, C. H. 
Week, F. W. Wheeler, G. T. Whitlock, 
W. H. C. Wood, E. S. Wykert, J. A. Wil- 
liamson, W. B. Weaver, A. E. Warfield, 
G. W. Rash, L. H. Hairelson, E. H. Gra- 
ham, Lee W. Wright, J. H. McMican, 



54 
Will T. York, G. H. Wright. J. P. 
Hoombs, T. M. Young, J. J. West, Thos. 
Tufts, S. A. Whitman, Chas. B. Walker. 
John Wingler, E. S .Wilson,, H. F. Small, 
J. M. Woods, H. Somnenschein, Ripley 

B. Smith, Squaties Spitzer, Geo. L. 
Spears, Jos. A. Stinwell, Philip H. Stein. 
P. E. St owe, J. M. Butts, Henry A. Swan, 
Hall P. Street, Offie Thomas, B. B. Tal- 
ley, H. L. Peak, J. S. Patrick, Tipton 
Bogers, C. A. Phillips, Jas. Rutherford. 
H. C. Bose, B. H. Schnyder, F. L. Saw- 
yer, Balph G. Schultz, John L. Schreck, 
Frank Seawell, Arthur T. Seaver, F. B. 
Shaw, Boger Sedgeley, T. M. McCoomhs. 
Wm. D. Schultz, John W. McNally, G. W. 
McMillan, S. S. Mead, D. O. McSwain. 
T. C. Milton, Frank J. Merrill Harry E. 
Moore, A. E. Mize, Wm. E. Moore, G. L. 
Nathans, Benj. F. Owens, Wm. Nichols, 
8. L. Laucks, D. G. Lane, Geo. Leekley. 
Monroe Leach, F. P. Leverett, Jas. Levy. 
A. A. Lucas, Frank Lowe, E. H. Mar- 
shall. Ed P. Madden, Wm. McCann, W. 
A. McBride, W. B. McChuskey, E. A. Mc- 
Ching. D. C. Huskey, C. A. Hurst, Cha>. 

C. Ingram, D. Hutchinson, Louis E. John- 
son, Fred H. Jennings, Wm. O. Kennedy, 
Hugh J. Kane, S. J. Krepp. V. Lane 
Ceo. J. Lamborn, T. V. Lamfert, Jas. J. 
TTartnett, David W. Hart. B. G. Crai.c\ 
T. F. Baxter, Geo. Haralson, Frank G. 
ETaskin, J. F. Harris. Alvin Harbour, W. 



00 

M. Bottoms, S. C. Harner, W. C. Dysart, 
J. W. McAnnully, R. K. Earnest, Walter 
Dyer, Wm. Elliott, E. H. Eggleston, Ed. 
B. Falvey, H. C. Erminger, J. W. Cot- 
teral, A. L. Conwell, H. C. Crittenden, 
N. G. Crews, Carey Davenport, P. Dar- 
roch, H. E. Dwight, T. M. Dumas, Nich- 
olas Brynes, W. L. Bradford, Anton 
Garney, Daniel Campbell, H. B. Bobben, 
M. V. Cheatham, E. J. Bailey, B. G. Bab- 
cock, B. F. Billingslea, H. B. Baker, Geo. 
W. Brick, J. S. Blanton, B. R. Alexander, 
Louis H. Adams, J. J. Andrews, H. H. 
Allen, John P. Ashby, J. H. Ashburn, 
G. E. Swan, Wm. Cross, F. W. Wardwell, 
K. R. Cobine, C. C. Ingram, John Bur- 
rows, G. W. Garrison, R, E. Gabriel, F. 
O. Scudder, F. J. Gillette, T. M. Young, 
Chas. S. Brown, T. L. Martin, Robt. An- 
derson, C. E. Phillips, H. L. Peak, B. W. 
Prince, Sam Postlewait, Wm. A. Reno, 
V. A. Rankin, Earnest Saunders, E. Gor- 
don Kerfoot, C. E. Gannaway, G. W. 
Pofford, C. M. Phillips. 



Street Improvements* 

The past year in the improvement of 
the streets of the city has been the 
greatest in the history of the city and 
the streets to-day present an inviting ap- 
pearance compared to the past, that is 
the subject of many pleasing comments. 



56 

All of the streets are dirt streets, but 
they have a hard" composition that in the 
time when they are not wet, makes them 
fine driveways. The only funds that are 
available for street improvements are 
the receipts, from poll tax and this 
amount this year was equal in money 
and labor to about $2,000, being more 
than double what it was in any preced- 
ing year. The council about three months 
ago placed the sidewalks in charge of 
the street commissioner as well as the 
road work, and in the time that he has 
been in charge there has been laid 18,179 
feet of board walk, 1,225 feet of stone 
walk, 4,150 feet of cement walk, 4,650 
feet of brick walk, and 550 feet of as- 
phalt walk, making a total of 28,750 feet 
of walk that has been completed to the 
first of the year. When the work was 
turned over to Street Commissioner 
Warren he found 2,000 feet of hard 
walks that were in use. In the coming 
year he proposes to compel the property 
owners to lay 21,150 feet of brick, stone 
or cement in comformity with the ordin- 
ance regulating the building of walks in 
the fire limits. This will give the city 
the finest walks in the Territory and 
more of them by several miles, than any 
other city possesses. In addition to this 
amount of work a contract has been 
made for the laying of 25,000 feet of ce- 



ment walks in what is known as the Hig- 
gins tract adjoining the city. 

Under the direction of the street com- 
missioner and the city engineer twenty- 
four blocks of the business portion of the 
city within the fire limits will be layed 
with vitrified brick and the work is ex- 
pected to be commenced within the next 
sixty days and completed as fast as pos- 
sible. This will be the first paving that 
has ever been ordered in the Territory 
and is a much larger area of paving than 
many cities of this size in the East can 
boast. 

The present plan of building streets 
from the poll tax alone will be enlarged 
the coining year and an effort will be 
made to have an appropriation for 
streets and alleys that will enable per- 
manent improvements of the driveways 
in the city aside from the paving that 
is to be done. It is expected that at 
least $5,000 per year will be used for the 
next five years in making a series of 
scientifically constructed streets, gravel 
or macadam being used in the construc- 
tion. 

Street Commissioner Warren is a most 
valuable man in his position. 



Although the church organizations are 
as strong in Oklahoma as elsewhere the 
church property is not so valuable as in 



58 
older communities where the organiza- 
tions have accumulated property for sev- 
eral generations. 



A box factory would find a good mar- 
ket for its output in Oklahoma, and the 
eottpnwood lumber can be secured - in 
abundance in Oklahoma county. 



Directory Facts* 

The book published by the Western 
Directory Co., and issued but a few 
weeks ago, has a number of interesting 
statements in it that are of value in de- 
termining the facts in regard to Oklaho- 
ma City. 

The book shows an actual population 
on date of August first of 14,369 inhabi- 
tants in Oklahoma City and this number 
was found to be the aggregate, not by 
the use of numerals as a multiplier, but 
in actual census that a trained corp^ of 
directory men took as they visited every 
house in the city in quest of the informa- 
tion that is contained in the 1900 direc- 
tory of Oklahoma City. 

"We have attempted in this volume to 
faithfully portray the business and pro- 
fessional interests of this city, and to 
send into the world a true index to the 
status, commercially of the metropolis 
of the Oklahoma and Indian Territories. 



59 

"Aside from the vast and inestimable 
importance to the public as a "guide, the 
city directory, when issued periodically, 
stands as a basis upon which to compare 
the city's growth. 

"A directory of Chicago issued forty 
years ago is a book of great value if 
used only to show the marvelous growth 
of the city in that space of time. 

"In our canvas for names we have 
been exceedingly careful and our efforts 
to get an accurate census of Oklahoma 
City have been unceasing. We find be- 
yond peradventure by actual count 14,- 
369 inhabitants in the city and imme- 
diate suburbs. 

"The signs of the times point to '-on- 
tinued growth and prosperity ; the condi- 
tions as we find them by an interview 
with almost every man in the city are 
encouraging. 

"The tireless efforts of the Okla Koma 
City Club deserve highest commenda- 
tion, and in the work of advertising the 
city and bringing within her gates new 
enterprises and good citizens, the City 
Club has few peers and no superiors 
among the commercial bodies of the 
country. 

"Before the prefatory of the next city 
directory shall have been written, the 
new city hall will be occupied, the Carne- 
gie library will be completed, and an im- 



60 
mense sanitarium, ground for which has 
just been broken, will adorn our city, 
bringing with them continued good gov- 
ernment, knowledge and health. 

"Thanks to those who by their moral 
and financial support, gave success to 
this undertaking; may they profit by its 
use and remember that before many 
moons the same publishers will return 
to the most congenial little city in the 
great West and ask again their patron- 
age." 

And it tells the tale of the purpose of 
the book perfectly. The body of the 
book after giving the city and county 
government shows that there are in the 
city six public schools and three business 
colleges so termed. It shows that there 
are in this city thirteen deligious con- 
gregations of different faiths. Then 
there' are 225 pages devoted to the 
names, addresses and occupations of the 
people of the city and county who were 
in health and doing business here to the 
date when the book was finished as to 
the gathering of information. 

In the back of the book is found a 
complete business classified directory 
that shows the business houses in the 
city. This shows that there are six 
dealers of agricultural implements in the 
city, eight architects, forty-eight law- 
yers, three banks, sixteen employing bar- 



61 
bers, six blacksmiths, ten boarding- 
stables, six dealers in books and sta- 
tionery, seven boot and shoe houses, five 
shoe makers, two boiler making estab- 
lishments, two brick plants, five firms of 
brokers, a cab line, two candy factories, 
three cigar manufactories, three civil en- 
gineers, eight clothing dealers, twelve 
firms that take contracts for buildings 
or some parts of the construction of 
buildings, a cotton seed oil mill, five cot- 
ton buying firms, two cold storage plants, 
a cotton compress, two cotton gins, a 
wholesale dental supply depot, six den- 
tists, twenty dress making firms and all 
are busy, two wholesale drug establish- 
ments, ten retail drug stores, ten retail 
dry goods establishments, a tent and 
awning factory, three employment agen- 
cies, nine firms engaged in the sale of 
feed, hay and grain; -two feed mills, a 
fence manufactory, three flour mills, five 
foundries and machine shops, three 
wholesale fruit establishment, five fur- 
niture houses, two doing a wholesale 
business; three grain elevators, five 
wholesale grocery houses, thirty retail 
grocers, four gunsmiths, five hardware 
establishments, two of which wholesale; 
three wholesale and retail harness and 
saddlery houses, three harvesting ma- 
chinery general agencies and supply de- 
pots; fourteen hotels, two ice manufae- 



62 
tories, sixteen insurance agencies, 
wholesale jewelry establishment, seven 
laundries, five of which are steam plants; 
two wholesale liquor dealers, nine livery 
stables, forty-one loan agencies, twelve 
lumber yards, two marble an granite 
works, four wholesale meat establish- 
ments, eleven meat shops for retail, 
forty-two physicians, fifty real estate 
men, seventeen restaurants, a sash, door 
and blind wholesale establishment, and 
a number of other business houses that 
are too numerous to mention. 



! 



Stock Industry* 

The big cotton seed oil mill ha? 
brought to Oklahoma City another im- 
portant industry which in turn has in- 
fluenced still another important industry 
to establish itself here. The ontput of 
meal has brought here 5,000 head of cat- 
tle which are being fed at the pens of the 
Oklahoma Live Stock company, of which 
A. H. Classen is president and F. M. 
Riley is secretary. The Oklahoma Live 
Stock company has fitted up 160 acres 
for feeding purposes, having installed a 
system of waterworks and divided the 
f tract into feed lots, with every facility 
for feeding the stock. 

The farmers are also buying liberally 
of the meal which is used in connection 



63 
with corn and oats for fattening cattle. 
The heavy increase in stock feeding 
offered substantial encouragement to Mr. 
Hoefer, who has just started one of the 
most complete packing plants in the 
West. 



Public Institutions* 

Oklahoma City is the county seat of 
Oklahoma county, which has a popula- 
tion of 26,000. It has a United States 
land office which employs in addition to 
the register and receiver, four clerks. 

The United States court is also held at 
Oklahoma City, there being two or more 
terms each year. 

The United States Weather Bureau 
station for Oklahoma and the Indian 
Territory is located in this city. Besides 
the director there are three assistants. 

An inspector for the land office depart- 
ment ?s located in this city. A postoffice 
inspector also makes his headquarters 
in the city. 

The referee in bankruptcy for the Ju- 
dicial district is also located here. 



Churches* 

Oklahoma City is well represented in 
church and secret society organizations. 
All of the principal denominations are 



64 

represented and the majority of secret 
societies are here and they are all pros- 
perous and rapidly increasing in mem- 
bership. 

ST. JOSEPH'S CATHOLIC CHURCH. 

This church has a membership of 1,200 
and is under the direction of Rev. Father 
Lanslot, who is one of the most public- 
spirited men in the city. The church has 
two large parochial schools and will com- 
mence the erection of a $25,000 church 
edifice in a few weeks. The Sisters have 
a large hospital here that cost $17,000, 
and they are preparing to build a 
Mother's home that will represent a 
large investment. Regular services are 
held. The membership is largely of na- 
tive Americans. 

GERMAN METHODISTS. 

In the fall of 1900 this church was first 
organized here and it has steadily gained 
in membership. The present pastor is 
Rev. John Buthman, and the member- 
ship has greatly increased since he be- 
came pastor. They have buildings repre- 
senting an investment of about $3,500 
and are in a prosperous condition. There 
is a large visitation to the services of 
the church. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL, SOUTH. 

This organization is one of the largest 
Protestant societies in the citv and is 




By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route, 

TERRITORIAL UNIVERSITY, NORMAN. 




By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route* 

HERD OF 1,300 COWS, BEAVER COUNTY. 



65 

steadily increasing. The membership is 
about 200, and the value of the church 
property is estimated at $10,000. There 
will be improvements made the coming 
year to the amount of about $2,000. The 
parsonage is worth $1,500, and has been 
recently refurnished. There is an Ep- 
worth League in connection with the 
church. 

CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN. 

This society was formed in August-, 
1900, and Rev. L. Buchanan was appoint- 
ed pastor. The property is on Harrison 
avenue and is valued at $1,500, and has 
accommodations for 200 sittings. The 
membership is rapidly increasing. 
THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 

This was the first society organized 
in this city and it has been one of the 
principal factors in the Christian growth 
of the city. Their Sunday School is the 
largest here. The property of the church 
is valued at about $5,000. A few months 
ago a second church was planned for 
Maywood addition to the city, as a num- 
ber of the members lived there, and a 
church property ha's been built there 
that is valued at $3,500. 

FIRST M. E. CHURCH. 

This organization has a membership of 
about 225, and church buildings includ- 
ing the parsonage, valued at $6,000. The 



66 
church is very prosperous and has been 
one of the leading denominations from 
the beginning. 

THE BAPTISTS. 

This church was organized in 1890 and 
now has a. membership of 300. It has 
property valued at $10,000, and has a 
number of very successful auxiliary so- 
cieties connected with its work. 

THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN. 

This organization has a fine building 
at the corner of Grand avenue and Har- 
vey, and recently purchased a site for a 
new edifice in another portion of the 
city. The membership to date is about 
200, and is rapidly increasing. The new 
church will be built the coining year ard 
will cost about $6,000, from the present 
plans that are being considered. There 
are a number of church organizations 
connected with this church that are also 
prosperous. 

CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS. 

A few months ago there was organized 
here a Christian Scientist church and it 
has gained in membership until now it 
has quite a large company at the regular 
services. There is no church building 
yet but the members expect to build one 
as soon as possible. The readers are 



67 

Miss M. E. Elynn and Mrs. Mary J. Mc- 
Cartney. 

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.- 

This organization is the largest Protes- 
tant organization in the city and the 
membership numbers nearly four hun- 
dred. The buildings are valued at $5,000 
and there will be a large expenditure in 
additions made to the property the com- 
ing year. The society will choose a new 
pastor in a few weeks, their former lea- 
der having resigned to enter the lecture 
field a few weeks ago. 

ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL. 

This church is located on west Second 
street, and is a leading organization. 
The last year has been a very successful 
one in the history of the organization 
and the coming year will be the time of 
the building of many improvements to 
the property which is valued at $3,000. 
Regular services are held, with Rev. 
Henry Fick as rector. 

COLORED CHURCHES. 

There are two colored church organi- 
zations, each of which have a fair mem- 
bership.' They are of the Baptist and 
Methodist denominations. 



Secret Societies* 

Among the secret societies in the city 
are several that have memberships into 



68 
the hundreds. Particularly is this true 
of the insurance orders. The folio wing- 
is a directory of the lodges as reported 
by the officers: 

Oklahoma Lodge No. 3, A. F. anid A. 
M. Charles A. Gardner, W. M.; George 
William Spencer. Secretary. There are 
eighty-one members. 

Cyrus Chapter No. 2, K. T. Edwin De- 
Barr, E. C:; George William Spencer, Re- 
corder. Membership of eighty. 

The Ancient Arabic Order of The Mys- 
tic Shrine, India Temple. Edwin DeBarr, 
Illustrious Potentate; George William 
Spencer, Recorder; W T illiam Jay Pettee, 
Representative to the Imperial Council 
The membership is about 300. 

I. 0. O. F. No. 2, meets at Odd Fellows 
hall every Wednesday. 0. H. Emerick, 
N. G.; J. W. Jennings, Recording Secre- 
tary. 

Woodmen's Circle, Mistletoe Grove No. 
8, meets every Friday afternoon at 
Woodmen's hall. Mrs. M. S. Shotwell, 
W. G.; Mrs. Mary R. D. Forrest, Clerk. 

Crescent Industrial Union, Oklahoma 
Council No. 15, meets every Wednesday 
evening, third floor Land Office build- 
ing. W. H. Skeecl, President; Egbert 
Howland, Secretary. 

Oklahoma Lodge No. 1, Knights of 
Pythias. Membership, 110. Meets every 



69 
Friday. Eugene A. Barnes, C. C. : and 
W. H. Roach, K. of R. and S. 

Degree of Honor Lodge was organized 
in April, 1900. Has a membership of 
forty-two. Meets every Thursday night 
at hall, corner of Robinson and Grand 
avenue. Mrs. G. C. Shotwell, Chief of 
Honor; Mrs. C. A. Richardson, Recorder. 

Oklahoma Lodge No. 6, A. O. U. W. 
Regular meeting every Tuesday at A. O. 
U. W. hall. Walter Grow, Recorder; 
August Hanson, W. M. 

Teutonic Lodge No. 6, Sons of Herman. 
Regular meeting, every Thursday at W. 
O. W. hall. I Sonnenschein, Secretary; 
Wm. Kunkle, President. 

Oklahoma Tent No. 8, K. O. T. M. 
Regular meeting every Monday, (.has. 
Risdon, R. K. ; J. W. Hall, Com. 

Other orders represented in the city 
are: Royal Tribe of Joseph, K nights of 
Protected Ark, United Moderns, Bank- 
ers Union of the World, Crescent Ind. 
Union, Knights and Ladies of Security. 

Oklahoma Camp No. 4, W. O. W. Regu- 
lar meeting every Friday at W. O. W. 
hall. W. McCall, Clerk : E. S. Dyer, Con. 
Com. 

Oklahoma City Lodge No. 17, B. P. O. 
E. Regular meeting second and fourth 
Fridays, at Elk's hall. W. T. Tate. Secre- 
tary; C. E. Bennett, E. R. 

Oklahoma Camp No. 6892. M. W. A. 



70 
Regular meetings every Monday at M. 
W. A. hall. F. C. Smith, Clerk; Dr. Wall, 
V. C. 

United Confederate Veterans, D. H. 
Hammons Camp No. 177, IT. C. V. G. W. 
R. Chinn, Commander; Dr. J. G. Street, 
Adjutant. Meets at call of commander. 
Membership, 60. 

Headquarters of Oklahoma Division 
United Confederate Veterans J. O. Cas : 
ler, Division Commander; W. R. Reagan, 
Adjutant and Chief of Staff. 



Manufacturers and Jobbers* 

The question of what constitutes the 
business backing of this city is a,nswered 
in the following list of the manufactur- 
ers and jobbers. There are ninety-one 
firms in this city who wholesale, and 
their gross sales for the year just ended 
has exceeded $16,000,000. The following 
is a brief description of the firms: 

ALTON-DAVIS MER. CO— This firm 
occupies a four story building of its own 
with a frontage of fifty feet and a depth 
of 140, possessing switch connections 
with the Santa Fe. Its territory is Ok- 
lahoma and Indian Territories, and it 
has six traveling men. It carries a 
large stock of groceries, fruits, and hard- 
ware and dry goods specialties and its 



71 
trade has materially increased the past 
year. The manager is E. I. Leach. 
CARROLL-BROUGH & ROBINSON,— 

This firm will commence the building of 
a wholesale grocery and general mer- 
chandise house here in January for the 
increase of their business which has 
grown very rapidly and which will be 
consolidated with other establishments 
that they have had in other cities. The 
new building will be three stories, one 
hundred feet front and 140 feet in depth. 
They will have eight traveling men in 
Oklahoma and Indian Territories! This 
is one of the largest establishments here. 

WILLIAMSON -HALSELL- FRASIER 

CO. — This firm occupy their own build- 
ing at the corner of First street and the 
right of ways of the Choctaw and Santa 
Fe railways. The__ building is three sto- 
ries, with a frontage of 75 feet and a 
depth of 100 feet. It has twelve travel- 
ing men and is the largest wholesale gro- 
cery house in the Southwest. Their ter- 
ritory covered is Oklahoma and the In- 
dian Territories. The freight receipts 
are about 1,300 car loads each year. 
They handle groceries, sporting goods, 
dry goods and hardware sundries, and 
are the general agents for the Heinz 
Pickle Co., Dunkley's fruits, and other 
large manufacturers. The business the 



72 
past year has been very large and other 
warehouse room is a necessity. 

M'CORD-COLLINS CO.— This firm is 
one of the leading houses in the whole- 
sale grocery business and like the rest 
they are cramped for room and are about 
to erect a building. They employ five 
traveling men and do a large business. 

FIGHTMASTER GROCERY CO.— Tnis 
firm is one of the first to be established 
in the city and they have a large busi- 
ness for the size of the stock that they 
carry. They have two travelers and 
most of their business is in a short ra- 
dius from the city. 

OKLAHOMA FURNITURE CO.— This 
firm is about to contract for the erection 
of a factory and warehouse building and 
will commence its erection next month. 
They will handle furniture, carpets aid 
undertaking goods and make a specialty 
of the wholesale trade in the two terri- 
tories and in northern Texas. The fix in 
has a paid up capital of $40,000 and will 
greatly enlarge its field this year. It 
has a force of three travelers on the 
road for. spring orders. 

STREET-REED FURNITURE CO.— 
This firm are large manufacturers of mat- 
tresses and they also have quite a large 
wholesale trade in furniture that is be- 
ing rapidly increased. They will have 



73 

three men on the road the coming year. 
They occupy a. fine new four story build- 
ing Avith two large warehouses. 

K. W. DAWSON FRUIT CO.— This 
firm have lately increased the^r ftfrce of 
travelers in their line in the territory 
and they have a large trade in fine fruits 
and other specialties. They have four 
and other specialties. They have four 
travelers. 

A. MORRISON CO.— This firm have 
lately increased their force of travelers 
and handle the product of the Blue Rib- 
bon Candy Co., in addition to all kinds 
of fruits and vegetables. They have three 
men on the road in the two territories. 

1ST. S. SHERMAN MACHINE CO.— The 
finest machine works, and foundry in th^ 
two territories is the possession of this 
firm and they are doing a large business 
though they haTe only been established 
here a year. They employ thirty-five 
men and occupy three buildings as fol- 
lows: Machine shop, thirty by eighty, 
foundry, thirty by seventy, and black- 
smith and sheet iron works, thirty by 
sixty. Have two traveling men. They 
make a. specialty of grinding and corru- 
gating mill rollers, manufacturing the 
famous Pitman patent steel bridge, make 
gasoline and steam engine-, all kind? < f 
building iron, and do a general foir dvv 



74 
and machine manufacturing business. 
Other buildings will be added this year. 

ZALONDEK & TAYLOR.— This is a 
firm of general machinists and founders 
who have a large business and employ 
from ten to twenty men. Their business 
has materially increased the past year. 

OKLAHOMA FOUNDRY AM> MA- 
CHINE SHOP.— This firm are at the end 
of Broadway and they have a large plant 
employing in repair and new work about 
twenty men. They will incrase their 
business and make stoves the coming 
year. 

ACME MILLING CO.— This is the 
largest milling company in the two terri- 
tories and it has one of the finest mills 
in the country. The buildings it occu- 
pies are along the Santa Fe and have a 
daily capacity of 500 barrels ot flour 
and 200 barrels of bran. The mill was 
first built in 1894 and several additions 
have been made since that time. They 
have an elevator capacity at the mill of 
100,000 bushels. Thirty-five men are em- 
ployed at the mill and there are a num- 
ber of other employees of the company 
in different parts of the territory. Their 
brands are, Supreme, Acme and Jersey 
Lily, and they are sold in Oklahoma and 
Indian Territories, Texas, Arkansas, 
Louisiana, Georgia,, Alaboma and other 



75 
Southern states and there is also a targe 
export trade. Geo. Sohlberg is presi- 
dent; 'D.' Lindbloom, vice president, and 
A. Goodholm, secretary and treasurer 
of the company. They ship yearly LVK) 
car loads. 

OKLAHOMA MILL AND ELEVATOR 
CO. — This firm have a new plant that 
manufactures 300 barrels of flour ench 
day and 200 barrels of bran and meal. 
Twenty-five men are employed and the 
plant cost complete, $75,000 . Several im- 
provements and additions have been 
made since the starting of the plant last 
April and they now have an elevator 
capacity of 200,000 bushels. They manu- 
facture the highest grades of hard and 
soft wheat flour and ship to Europe, 
North and Sonth Carolina, Alabama, 
Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana and Ar- 
kansas. Whit M_ Grant is president, 
L. F. Kramer, treasurer, and H. C. Brad- 
ford, manager. The ir pay roll is $2,500 
per month. 

PLANSIFTER MILLING CO.— This 
mill has a capacity of 250 barrels per 
day and is noted for the fine grade of 
flour that it makes. The past year the 
mill has been run steadily with two 
crews and the elevator capacity has been 
increased by a new elevator with a capa- 
city of 40,000 bushels. The company 
are considering important improvement si 



76 
in 1901 for their mill which is located on 
the Frisco and Santa Fe tracks. 

JOS. HAGEN".— The mill owned and 
run by Mr. Hagen deals in feed and 
grain products and is by no means a 
small institution. He employs a number 
of men and the annual product of the 
mill will aggregate a number of thou- 
sand dollars. The past year he has ma- 
terially increased the capacity of the 
mill and contemplates improvements the 
coming year. He is a member of the 
city council. 

ALEXANDER DRUG CO.— This firm 
will after a few weeks, occupy the Ind- 
iana, a block at the corner of First and 
Robinson streets, which is four stories 
in height and with a frontage of 7-5 feet 
and a depth of 100 feet, and is the hand- 
somest wholesale building in the city. 
It deals in wholesale drugs and druggist 
sundries exclusively and while not in 
operation a year, will have done a busi- 
ness of over $300,000 when their year is 
completed. There are five traveling men 
employed who make trips in Oklahoma 
and Indian Territory. The firm is a 
leader in this line and has made the great- 
est advancement of any wholesale estab- 
lishment in the city. The officers are R. 
H. Alexander, president; E. S. Malone, 
vice president; C. A. Alexander, secre- 
tary, and W. J. Dunn, treasurer. The 



77 
firm expects to be in the new building 
in February. 

M'CORMICK MACHINE CO.— This is 
the distributing point for the famous 
harvesting machines for North Texas, 
Oklahoma and Indian Territory, and this 
firm have here a general office at which 
over fifty traveling men report and their 
warehouses here ship many hundred car 
loads of goods yearly. They employ a 
large number of men at the setting up 
shops and supply depot that they have 
here and their business is one of the 
largest in the city. 

WASHBURN-LYTLE MACHINERY 
CO. — This is a new firm that have just 
opened a general machinery business 
here. They will be the general agents 
of the Rock Island Co., Champion Bind- 
ers and Mowers, Columbia Buggy Co., 
Milburn Wagons and several other large 
manufacturers of vehicles, machinery, 
harness, etc. The firm have a large ware- 
room and they will have a number of 
men on the road at the beginning 1 of 
their season. They will soon have a shop 
that will be used for the setting up of 
machinery that they will ship and for 
general storage purposes. They will 
cover Oklahoma and Indian Territories. 

W. J. PETTEE & CO.— This is one of 
the largest hardware and implement 
firms in the two territories, and their 



78 
stock has been greatly increased the pa^t 
year so that they have had to build two 
large buildings for their accommodation. 
The firm does a 'wholesale and retail bus- 
iness and they employ thirty men in the 
different departments. The business has 
grown from a small business until now it 
is one of the best in the Southwest and 
its increase has been marvelous. 

ARMSTRONG HARDWARE CO. -The 
firm of this name will not commence 
business until next week but they have 
purchased the business of Gilpin & Ja- 
cobs and will have a retail and whole- 
sale hardware and implement business 
with particular attention to the whole- 
sale business. The firm is composed of 
experienced hardware men and they have 
an abundant capital for the conduct of a 
great business and the field that they 
will cover will be North Texas, the two 
territories and Southern Kansas. Five 
men will be put on the road at once. The 
company will utilize a building six sto- 
ries in height, of a frontage of fifty feet 
and a depth of 140 feet as soon as it 
can be secured for their use. 

J. I. CASE MACHINE CO.— This .great 
machine manufacturers 4s represented in 
this city by a general agency that has 
a large number of travelers and they 
have their own building here that they 
use for a wholesale depot and in which 



79 
there are thousands of dollars worth of 
their product used to supply the trade 
of the two territories and north Texas. 
This is one of the principal firms here 
and they are a strong addition to the 
wholesale interests of the city. They 
employ about twenty men. 

THE OKLAHOMA DUCK AND. RUB- 
BER CO.— This firm is one of the addi- 
tions to the wholesale and manufactur- 
ing interests of the city this year. They 
manufacture and wholesale, and retail 
all kinds of rubber and canvas goods and 
is the only manufacturers of slickers and 
slicker suits outside of Boston. They 
have a specialty of goods with the trade 
mark "KANTLEAK" that are becoming 
famous. 

C. G. FROST.— The Oklahoma City 
Bottling Works of which Mr. Frost is 
the proprietor, is one of the leaders in 
its line in the country, particularly is 
this true since Mr. Frost purchased the 
famous Crown Sulphur Mineral Springs 
and commenced the wholesaling of the 
water from these famous springs. He 
has a large trade in this water and it 
is rapidly growing. He is the agent of 
Lemp's beer and manufacturers all kinds 
of carbonated drinks. 

BREWING INTERESTS.— There are 
three other agencies of breweries here 
besides Lemp's. They are John Blair, 



80 
agent of ValBlatz; William 'Ritterbusch. 
agent for Pabst; Fred Sutton, for An- 
heuser-Busch. All do a large wholesale 
business in this territory and employ a 
number of men. 

THE TIMES-JOURNAL PUBLISH- 
ING GO. — But few people recognize the 
growth of this institution in the past 
two years. There are now employed by 
this firm in their manufactory of blank 
books and printery twenty-eight people 
and the building one hundred and forty 
by twenty -six is crowded with a plant 
that will invoice over $25,000. Another 
story will be added to the building the 
present year and the force will be great- 
ly increased to accommodate the busi- 
ness. 

BRICK MANUFACTURING.— There 
are three large brick making plants in 
and about the city and they have em- 
ployed over one hundred people all of the 
year. Their product amounts to several 
hndred thousand dollars each year and 
the quality of the brick that are made 
is first class. One of the companies has 
put in machinery the present year to 
make pressed brick and will commence 
the manufacture of high grade pressed 
brick in February. 

BLUE BXBBON CANDY CO.— This 
firm has recently erected a new build- 
ins' and thev manufacture confectioner v 





J 



By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route. 

BANK BLOCK AND FLOUR MILL, OKLAHOMA CITY; 
HAY FARM, NOBLE COUNTY. 



WWmm^m:mm : :^J 



I 




AT GUTHR] 



COTTON-SEED OIL MILL AT NORMAN. 





| 










IB 




- 





,".'- : :- fr 



5v courtesy of the Santa Fe Route* 

OKLAHOMA CITY COTTON COMPRESS. 



81 
for the wholesale trade alone. They 
have ten men at work and a large num- 
ber of girls. 

OKLAHOMA CARRIAGE CO.— This 
firm have built up a fine business the 
past year and they have ten men em- 
plowed in the different departments of 
their business and are making arrange- 
ments to increase this number. 

NATIONAL CASH REGISTER CO.— 
The general agency for this firm for Ok- 
lahoma and Indian Territories is in this 
city and the traveling men that cover 
the territory make their home here and 
they have a fine large salesroom and 
warehouse here. 

F. E. PATTERSON & CO.— Wholesale 
cigars and tobacco is the province of this 
firm and though but lately established 
it is rapidly taking the lead in the sale 
of their lines in the two territories. A 
large mail order business is attended to 
and two salesmen will be placed oh the 
road the first of the year. It is a whole- 
sale depot for a number of leading lines 
of tobacconists supplies. 

D. WOLF & SONS.— This wholesale li- 
quor and tobacco firm is one of the old- 
est in the two territories and they have 
built up a large business that is steadily 
on the increase. Three traveling men 
cover North Texas and Oklahoma and 
the trade supplied from here amounts to 



82 
many thousands of dollars each year. 
They occupy a fine building on Main 
street, twenty-five by 125 feet, two sto- 
ries high and their trade is increasing, . 
Twelve people are regularly employed. 

CHOCTAW COAL, DEPOT.— The gen- 
eral sales department of Wm. Busby who 
is the general agent of the famous coal 
products of the Choctaw railway are lo- 
cated in this city and they handle here 
several hundreds of cars of coal each 
year. All of the business of North 
Texas and Oklahoma Territory in han- 
dled from here and gives employment to 
a large number of men. J. H. Bollinger is 
Mr. Busby's man here, and he is a trade 
getter. 

A. M. DEBOLT.— Cotton gin, whole- 
sale coal and wood are the different 
lines that Mr. DeBolt is interested in, 
and the past year he gave employment 
to thirty men and spent $10,000 in im- 
provements. • 

CHESPEAKE COMMISSION CO.— 

This firm wholesale oysters and fish 
and they have built up a large commis- 
sion business in addition that causes 
them to employ a number of people. 
They are one of the principal firms in 
their line in the Southwest. 

OKLAHOMA ICE AND COLD STOR- 
AGE CO. — This great plant occupying 
a frontage of 150 feet with a mean depth 



83 
of 100 feet has just been completed and 
is the largest of the kind in the South- 
west. It has a capacity of fifty tons of 
ice each day and a cold storage capacity 
of one hundred car loads of products at 
one time. AH of the buildings and ma- 
chinery are the best that money can buy 
and the whole was erected at a cost of 
$85,000. 

AMERICAN COTTON CO,— This is 
the general agency of the round bale 
company that operates in the two terri- 
tories and they have a number of travel- 
ing representatives who make the terri- 
tory from this city. They manufacture 
round bale presses and ginneries and do 
a large business in the two territories 
and north Texas. 

OKLAHOMA COMPRESS CO.— One of 
the largest cotton compresses in the 
South is operated in this city by this 
company and they will handle this year 
over 60,000 bales of cotton. The 
press is new and it gives thirty per cent 
more compression than any other com- 
press in the two territories and is pop- 
ular for this reason with all the hr/ger 
cotton buyers who can get their cotton 
Hi this city for marketing. The com- 
pany is under the direction of David 
Pherson, president, and R. Li idse . 
manager; The buildings and storage 
shed occupy nearly five acres of ground 



84 
and have ample fire protection. They 
employ about fifty men for seven months 
of each year. 

SOUTHWESTERN COTTON CO.— 
This is the largest cotton oil and seed 
mill in the two territories and the busi- 
ness that it does is one of the largest 
in the country. They run for about 
seven months in the year and have two 
forces of men, numbering in all seventy, 
who are at work night and day. The 
plant is new, first class in every particu- 
lar and one of the great institutions of 
the city. The buildings and machinery 
represent an investment of over $100,- 
000. There will be additions for next 
year and may possibly establish a paper 
manufacturing plant to utilize the hulls 
from the cotton seed. 

C. D. COIL. — Deals in dental supplies 
and has worked up a nice business. 

INTERSTATE ELECTRICAL SUP- 
PLY CO. — This company are the largest 
dealers in electrical goods in the two 
territories and they have several gangs 
of men at work not only in this city, 
where their warerooms are located, but 
also in other parts of the two territor- 
ies. They contract any and all kinds of 
electrical equipment and wiring. Their 
business is less than a year old but has 
grown to be one of the industries of the 
city. 



85 

J. F. HART WELL.— Wholesale jewel- 
ry; removed here from Fort Smith some 
months ago. He has two men on the 
road and one of the largest stocks in the 
West, and the largest south of Kansas 
City in the Southwest. 

OKLAHOMA SADDLERY CO.— This 
wholesale and manufacturing institution 
was established here about a year ago 
and for the purpose of wholesaling sad- 
dlery and hardware. They began in a 
small way to manufacture harness and 
saddles and they have found the demand 
so great for their product that they now 
have thirty-five men at work in the man- 
ufacturing department and their sales 
have increased so rapidly that they have 
had to increase their force of traveling 
men until now they have five on the 
road. They travel in Oklahoma, Indian 
Territory and Texas, and the business 
has increased several hundred per cent 
since the beginning. They wholesale sad- 
dlery, harness, all leather goods, sad- 
dlery hardware, robes, turf goods, and 
make a specialty of high grade saddles 
and harness of their own manufacture. 
They have two floors of a seventy-five 
foot frontage with a depth of 125 feet. 
The officers of the company are G. W. 
Garrison, president: J. D. Head, vice 
president, and E. L. Bozarth, secretary 
and treasurer. 



86 

ANHEUSER-BUSCH ICE PLANT.— 
This plant is run all of the season and 
is one of the best equipped ice plants 
in the territory, with a capacity of twen- 
ty-five tons each day. Several men are 
employed in the plant. 

JAS. MARRINAN.— One of the oldest 
wholesale liquor dealers in the territory 
is the firm of Jas. Marrinan. There are 
three travelers connected with the firm 
who travel a wide territory. 

FRED FOSTER.— This is a new whole- 
sale liquor house and is doing a fine busi- 
ness. It is located on Broadway. 

LUMBER INTERESTS.— There are 
several companies in the city that makes 
a feature of their business their whole- 
sale trade. Among them are the storm 
Lumber Co., W. J. Abbot & Co., T. M. 
Richardson, Jr., Southwestern Lumber 
Co., Davidson and Case, and W. J. Gault 
& Son. There are also a number of re- 
tail yards, and there are a large number 
of men employed in the lumber business 
here. It is claimed that there are 150. 

FRED HOEFER PACKING CO.— This 
is the latest institution to locate in the 
city, and moved here from St. Joseph. 
Mo. The plant is an entirely new one 
and with the yards occupies ten acres of 
ground with connections with the Santa 
Fe and Frisco. The plant cost in its 
present condition, $27,000, and has a 



87 
capacity for the killing of 300 hogs and 
75 cattle each day. There are twenty- 
two men employed at present. The plant 
will manufacture all of the by products 
that are made by the largest plants. It 
is the most complete refrigeration plant 
of its size in the country. The plant is 
of brick forty feet front, three stories 
and 165 feet in depth. It is a model and 
will provide a market for all the stock 
raised by the farmers for many miles 
around this city. 

A. It HUGHES & CO.— This wholesale 
paint and wall paper house will open its 
doors the first of the year. It is a branch 
house of a large factory in Kansas City, 
and is opened here for the purpose of 
handling the business of the two terri- 
tories and Texas. They, will employ a 
number of travelers from here. 

ARMOUR PACKIXG CO.— This firm* 
occupy a three story building here with 
frontage of twenty -five feet and a depth 
of 140. It is their own building and 
they are going to add another story and 
possibly a new warehouse at once. This 
is the main office of the company for the 
territory from the Kansas line south to 
Texas and west from the center of In- 
dian Territory to the west line of Okla- 
homa. There are five traveling salesmen 
connected with this 'office and eight sub- 
agencies are supplied and directed from 



88 
Tiere. There are thirty-five employees 
of the company. This year they have 
handled 390 cars of dressed poultry from 
this city. N. H. Leonard is the manager 
of the plant. 

CUDAHY PACKING PLANT.— This 
firm have a large general agency here in 
charge of R. G. Craig, and it has a num- 
ber of traveling men and buyers who are 
directed from this office. It occupies 
its own building in the wholesale district 
und is contemplating some extensive ad- 
ditions the coming year. 

SWIFT PACKING CO.— This company 
can be described in the same terms as 
the description of Armour and Cudahy, 
as they all do about the same business, 
and employ about the same help. 

OKLAHOMA SASH & DOOR CO.— 
This institution of which Mayor Van 
Winkle is the presiding genius, is one of 
the principal institutions of the city, and 
for many reasons. The first of which is 
that it is the only successful attempt 
that has ever been made to establish a 
house of this kind in the two territories 
and Northern Texas. The company 
wholesale sash and doors, glass, paints, 
building materials, oils, etc., and they - 
cupy two large warehouses along the 
Santa Fe. Their trade is found in Ok- 
lahoma, Indian Territory, North Texas 
and Arkansas, and is constantly inert 



89 
ing. There are seventeen employees at 
this house and two traveling men are 
making the trade all of the time. A 
great amount of the business is through 
mail orders. The past year has thorough- 
ly demonstrated that the business is a 
success in this city. 

PLANING MILLS.— There are three 
large planing mills and wood-working es- 
tablishments in the city that employ a 
number of hands each. All are doing a 
satisfactory business and each have ma- 
terially increased their plants this year. 

C. M. PEPPER & CO.— This is the title 
of the new firm that is building a broom 
factory along the Santa Fe. They will 
have a three story brick building with 
accommodations for fifty experts. The 
plant will be a steam plant and will be 
the largest in the two territories by sev- 
eral hundred per cent. 

MOSS BREWING CO.— This firm is 
building a brewing plant and will omld 
a malt plant in a few months. The brew- 
ing plant will have a capacity of 35,000 
barrels of beer annually and will be a 
first class plant in every particular. It 
will be five stories in height and will be 
of brick and stone. Work is progressing 
very rapidly on this plant. Mr. M^ss 
came to this city from Yankton, S. D. 

CATO DISTILLERY.— This plant has 
been in operation for about three 



90 

months and a number of men are em- 
ployed and two hundred bushels of corn 
are put to the good use of making good 
whiskey here every day. 

W. U. TELEGRAPH CO.— The office 
of the Western Union here is under the 
management of J. P. Gensler and he has 
ten people working for him. This office 
is the largest in^ the two territories by 
twice the number of operators. It 
handled 48,000 words the night of July 
2d. 

TELEPHONE CO.'S— There are two 
telephone companies in the city. The 
Bell has a number of toll lines and a 
local exchange of about three hundred 
connections. The Citizens' Independent 
Telephone Co., is building an exchange 
that will have to exceed six hundred con- 
nections and several hundred miles of 
toll line. 

OKLAHOMA DRUG CO.— This firm 
do a general business in drugs and drug- 
gists' sundries, but their principal busi- 
ness for the past year has been in sup- 
plying the demand for a chill cure that 
they manufacture, called "Quin-India" 
and which has had a wonderful sale on a 
cash guarantee that it will cure. The 
company have shipped over 2,000 gross 
this year and expect to increase this 
amount next year. They employ eight 
traveling men, covering Georgia, Florida, 



91 
North and South Carolina, Mississippi, 
Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texa& 
and the two territories. They have 
their own printing plant and are one of 
the largest employers of labor in the 
city. 

OKLAHOMA PAPER CO.— This com- 
pany has lately been established but 
they have four traveling men and they 
are doing business that augurs so well 
for the future that they are now figuring 
on building a three story sales building 
and warehouse. They are the general 
agents for some of the largest mills in 
the North and they are pushing the 
trade so rapidly that they have seriously 
encroached on the business of the Kan- 
sas City and St. Louis houses that for- 
merly served this territory. The men 
in the company are the leaders in the 
younger -business element and they have 
all the capital that is needed to build up 
a large business. 

WATERS-PIERCE OIL CO.— This 
braneh of the Standard Oil Co. have one 
of their principal* depots here and they 
handle several hundred tank cars of pro- 
duct each year. 

T. J. GRIFFITH.— This firm is the gen- 
eral agent of the Kingman-Moore Im- 
plement Co., and they handle the terri- 
tory for this company and several other 
machinery houses. They employ a num- 



92 
ber of men and do a large business. 

LOUIS OBERT.— This great brewery 
is represented here by Frank Menten, 
who is making a large business for the 
firm. He handles the entire territory 
for them and his business has greatly 
increased the past year. 

JEAN - HURST - REDFEARN PRO 
DUCE CO.— This firm buy and ship poul- 
try and other produce and have their 
yards here. They will handle nearly 
five hundred cars of dressed poultry each 
year besides large quantities of other 
produce and butter and eggs. 

OKLAHOMA FLORAL CO.— This com- 
pany have the largest green houses in 
the two territories and they supply most 
of the other cities around with floral de- 
signs. They have special agencies in a 
number of near-by cities and have de- 
veloped a large wholesale trade in floral 
designs and fine plants. The green 
houses are open to the public on certain 
days and are a beautiful sight. There 
are several men employed and a number 
of thousand dollars in, the investment. 

DRY GOODS AND NOTIONS.— There 
are at present no exclusive wholesale 
dealers in these lines but the Lion Store, 
McGlinchey Mercantile Co.. M. Hersko- 
witz, Burton-Gaines & Co., T. P. Melon, 
The Mitscher-Mitchell Co.. and B. Cohen. 
There are two organizations perfected to 



93 
engage in these lines in an exclusive * 
wholesale way, one with a capital of 
$200,000 and the other with a capital of 
$125,000. 

THE FAIR.— This firm wholesale no- 
tions, toys, queensware, and house fur- 
nishings and do quite a large business. 

J. H. VOSBURG & CO.— Though here 
but a few months, this firm are doing a 
large business in the wholesaling of 
books, stationery and kodak supplies. 

WM. BARE.— Barr's Dude and Royal 
Mush cigar are the manufacture of this 
firm and they have so grown in the favor 
of the territory that at present he has 
eleven men employed and expects to 
have twice this number by the end of 
this year. 

WM. HUBYCKA.— One of the oldest 
cigar factories in the territory is that 
of Wm. Hubycka, and it is one of the 
most successful. He has a large whole- 
sale business. 

KEMP BROS.— This firm handle Ferd 
Heim's celebrated beers and they do a 
large wholesale business. 

OKLAHOMA SUPPLY CO.— This firm 
deals in wines, liquors and beer, and they 
have a large trade in this territory. 

PEORIA WHOLESALE CO.— This 
firm makes a specialty of blank books, 
tablets, etc., and they have a large busi- 



94 
ness that has been greatly enlarged since 
they opened here a few months ago, 

MITCHELL-SHEARER CO.— This firm 
wholesale queensware, coffee, teas and 
spices and coffee. They have two travel- 
ing men and expect to greatly enlarge 
the coming year. 

KNOWLES & BARTA.— Are manufac- 
turers of upholstered furniture and have 
a factory that employs twenty men. 
They are preparing to enlarge their busi- 
ness and add a wholesale department 
that will handle several other lines of 
furniture. 



Police Department* 

The force consists of chief, who is an 
elective officer, and eight men. The fol- 
lowing is a roster of the force. It will 
be seen that all of the men but one are 
native born Americans, and this one has 
been here since childhood. 

W. B. Hendry, chief of police, Ameri- 
can: appointed to the force in 1896. 

J. G. Burnett, patrolman, American; 
appointed May 1898. 

T. A. Blaise, sergeant, American; ap- 
pointed 1899. 

John Hubatka, patrolman, foreign; ap- 
pointed April 1899. 

' H. Emerick, patrolman, American; ap- 
pointed 1900. 



95 

Sam Bartell. patrolman, American; ap- 
pointed 1900. 

J. H. Miller, patrolman, American ; ap- 
pointed 1900. 

T. A. Couch, merchant police, Ameri- 
can : appointed 1899. 

E. S. Dyer, sanitary police, American; 
appointed 1899. 

Oklahoma City Railways. 

This city is the terminus of the St. 
Louis and San Francisco railroad for the 
present and this road has been in opera- 
tion here two years. The road will soon 
be extended to some point in Texas and 
the contracts for 202 miles have been 
made and the construction will be com- 
menced as soon as the line that the com- 
pany is building into Texas, through the 
Indian Territory is completed, which will 
be some time in January of 1901. 

The Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe 
have one of their principal lines passing 
through this city and it is the report 
that the earnings of the line that passes 
through here will be greater this year 
than the main line in Kansas. The road 
does a wonderful business here, as the 
report that is given below will show. 

The third road that is in the city is 
the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf, which 
is rapidly becoming one of the great 



96 
trunk lines of the country and which in 
some respects, is the greatest railway 
system in Oklahoma. 

There are at least two other roads 
that will soon be here, and this is no 
idle statement, but a fact that the com- 
ing twelve months will demonstrate. In 
another column will be found a descrip- 
tion of the plans of the railways that 
are projected for this city, and the plans 
that are enumerated there are all more 
than possibilities. 

THE SANTA FE. 

It is the purpose of this article to give 
the actual conditions of the railway busi- 
ness of the city but not to enter into 
the specific details which will be found 
in another column. The Atchinson, Tope- 
ka and Santa Fe in this is what is known 
as the Oklahoma division, and extends 
from Purcell, I. T., to Arkansas City, 
Kansas. The local office is the most im- 
portant on the division and the freight 
and passenger business from here are so 
large that it is almost beyond belief. 
The station is in charge of F. O'Neil as 
commercial agent, and he has been one 
of the strongest factors in the upbuild- 
ing of the city and a more popular rail- 
way man would be hard to find. He has 
under his direction at this place sixty- 
three employees in all the departments 




By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route* 

PICKING COTTON EARLY IN NOVEMBER. 




EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER, SEPTEMBER 20, 1896. 




By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route* 

TWO YEARS MORE, SEPTEMBER 20, 1898. 



m 

of the road, and there are several niiles 
of side track, etc., in the company's pro- 
perty here. The company the past year 
has done much to build up their proper- 
ty here, confining their expense particu- 
larly to the increase of the trackage in 
the city. The coming year will see the 
construction of an elegant new passenger 
station, and the enlargement of the 
yards. The plans for the depot structure 
are completed, and it will be commenced 
in a few weeks. The company have re- 
cently purchased ten acres of fine pro- 
perty on which they will establish ex- 
tensive yards. 

The business of the office of the com- 
pany in this city is three times what it 
is at any other station in the territory, 
and the increase the past year has been 
nearly thirty per cent. 

THE CHOCTAW. 

The Choctaw, Oklahoma. & Gulf is the 
principal railroad that enters Oklahoma 
in point of number of men employed that 
live here. The road within the past 
three years has become one of the prin- 
cipal lines in the Southwest and now has 
a mileage of 600 miles and will commence 
the building of about 500 miles more 
shortly after the first of the year. One 
of the extensions will from Weather- 
ford, a few miles west of this city and 



98 
will extend, ultimately, to Albuquerque, 
X. M. Ninety miles of this extension 
will be built at once, all arrangements 
having been completed. The officers of 
the company in this city are General 
Attorney for Indian-Oklahoma Territo- 
ries, John W. Shartell; General Western 
Agent, C. B. Hart, who has charge of 
the freight and passenger business in 
Indian and Oklahoma Territories, and 
connecting lines, and the local office in 
charge of Mr. T. H. Phelps, agent. In 
the departments of the road centering 
in this city there are nearly 160 men 
employed, who make this city their home 
The majority of these men are married 
and have their families here. The com- 
pany is about to erect new station 
buildings here and with the property 
purchased for their location they will 
cost nearly $75,000. Oklahoma City is 
a freight division for twelve train crews 
who make headquarters here. The com- 
pany has a large amount of property 
they are using for the purpose of locat- 
ing wholesale and manufacturing indus- 
tries, having recently purchased twenty- 
eight lots from the city in what is 
known as the Military addition, for this 
purpose. The gross receipts from sources 
in this city will approximate $75,000 
per month, sixty per cent of which is 



99 
from freight and forty per cent is from 
passenger, and other sources. 
THE FRISCO LINE. 

This great system is but three years 
old in Oklahoma and in that time the 
growth of the business of the road has 
n phenominal, and they have appre- 
ciated the value of the business by mak- 
ing greater improvements than any ether 
road here. One of the latest of their im- 
provements has been in the construction 
of three miles of road in the city that 
makes a belt line and which gives them 
terminal facilities into the heart of the 
city, and makes , exceedingly valuable a 
large tract of land for factory and 
olesale e shm-ents. This improve- 

ment, with the depots and freight houses 
that have been constructed represent 
an investment in the city of nearly $150.- 
000 that the company has made the 
present year. The station here is in 
charge of W. A. Vickers. comercial agent 
and J. H. Doughty, traveling freight 
:it of the road, has his headquarters 
here. They are hustlers and have had 
much to do with the growth of the busi- 
ness here to its present proportions. 
The company have the finest buildings 
in the city and they contemplate im- 
provements the present year. 

The Frisco employs seventy-three 
men in this city. 

LofC. 



100 
The story is not complete without the 
anouncement that the Oklahoma City & 
Western will in a few days begin work 
upon the extension from this city south- 
west through the heart of the Kiowa 
and Comanche country, and will be 
completed before the opening of the 
country to settlement. 



Oklahoma City Business Men* 

The list that follows is a complete di- 
rectory of the retail and wholesale es- 
tablishments of the city and it is print- 
ed in this edition for the purpose of 
showing the prosperous condition of the 
commerce of the city. In the wholesalers 
are nearfly every line but there is room 
for more as the trade to be served from 
here is reached by a number of railway 
lines and all of the Indian Teritory, Ok- 
lahoma and North Texas depend upon 
this city in a great measure as their 
principal marketing point. 

In the retail lines will be found sev- 
eral merchants in every branch and all 
of them carry as fine stocks as can be 
found in any of the larger cities of the 
country. It is the common expression of 
visitors here that the merchants have 
the best and largest stocks that they 
have ever seen in a city of this size. All 
lines are amply represented now, but 



101 
the growth of the city is such that 
others may be warranted in locating 
here in the near future. 

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.— 
McCormick Harvesting Machine Co., C. 
M. Mead & Company, Michael Peshek, 
Washburne-Lytle Implement Company. 

ARCHITECTS.— Edw. Coady, David 
Douglas, Wm. Gall, F. J. Lyons, G. L. 
Montooth, J. L. Moore, R. L. Pierce, A. 
J. Williams, David Turbyfill. 

ARTISTS.— Miss Martha Avey, E. H. 
Jackson. 

ATTORNEYS AT LAW.— Douglas & 
Douglas, Everett J. Gidings, Hays & 
McMechan, J. P. Allen, J. P. Austin, 
J. P. Barnard, W. H. Brown, R. M. Camp- 
bell, T. G. Chambers, Sidney Denham, 
John E. Dumar, J. II. Everest, J. L. 
Francis, Marshall Fulton, W. M. Grant, 
W. H. Grove, J. A. Hallan, A. B. Ham- 
mer, V. Y. Hardcastle, Elmer Thomas, 
W. F. Wilson, Wm. P. Harper, H. H. 
Hillman, Howard & Ames, Jenkins & 
Brown, J. W. Johnson, F. J. Kearful, J. 
R. Keaton, L. M. Keys, W. II. Kitchens, 
L. M. Lane, Lewis & Snyder, R. N. Mc- 
Connell, J. A. Metcalfe, Milton & Beaty, 
B. B. Moser, F. J. Parr, R. J. Ramer, 
Wm. Reagan, R. A. Kleinsmidt, J. W. 
Shartel, C. Fred Smith, O. H. Travers, 
W. W. Tunnecliff, J. E. Vandal, H. R. 
Winn, J. H. Wright. 



102 
AUCTIONEERS. 
James Gleason, J. C. Goggerty, J. W. 
Stoneking. 

AWNINGS. 
Oklahoma Duck & Rubber Company. 

BAKERS. 
C. F. Essig, Home Bakery, A. Meyer, 
Choctaw Bakery, Peabody Bakery. . 
BANDS AND ORCHESTRAS. 
Hrabe Band and Orchestra, U. C. T. 
Band, Brandonrs Orchestra. 
BANKS. 
State National Bank, Western Nation- 
al Bank, Bank of Commerce, Oklahoma 
Savings BWank, American National 
Bank. 

BARBERS. 
Grand Avenue Barber Shop, C. A. 
Abernathy, F. P. Cameron, W. J. Car- 
penter, E. W. Caruthers, Omar Crismore, 
T. J. H. Edwards, August Fleck, Samuel 
Jenkins, Speed Jones, W. L. Long, C. M. 
Mcllvain, W. E. Miles, W. M. Pace, H. A. 
Torbet, W. T. Tucker, Hotel Lee Shop. 

BATH ROOMS. 
C. A. Abernathy, E. W. Caruthers, 
Grand Avenue' Barber Shop, H. A. Tor- 
bet. 

BEER AGENTS. 
J. R. Blair, Charles G. Frost, F. E. 
Sutton, Wm. Ritterbush, Kemp Bros., 
Frank Menton. 



103 
BICYCLES AND SUPPLIES. 

Oklahoma Cycle Company. 
BILL POSTERS. 
Oscar Nix. 
BLACKSMITHS AXD HORSESHOERS. 
Christopher Adams, S. Brosseau, J. C. 
Cook, Eisenberger & Clasen, Hunter & 
Schuler, Frank Skinner. 

BOARDING HOUSES. 
Mrs. Martha Cary, Mrs. Viola Herrin, 
J. M. Housel, Alexander Kelly, Mrs. An- 
nie Lowe, Mrs. C. E. McNew, Noonan 
Sisters, Mrs. F. X. Shappell, Mrs. Almira 
Sharp, A. W. White. 

BOND COMPANIES. 
Deming Investment Company, South- 
western Guarantee Trust Company. j 
BOOK BINDERS. 
Times-Journal Publishing Company. 

BOOKS AND STATIONERY. 
Miss Clara Firestone, Luke & Mc- 
Adams, Peoria Wholesale Co., (Whole- 
sale Books.), Rice Stationery Store, J. 
H. Vosburgh & Co. 

BOOTS AND SHOES. 
Milner Shoe Store, Pope Shoe Com- 
pany. 

BOOT AND SHOE MAKERS. 
Crow '& Co., Henry Duffy, Patrick Mc- 
Mullen, T. J. Ryndak, J. T. Weidmann. 
BOTTLERS. 
J. R. Blair, Creller & Harrup, Oklaho- 
ma Bottling Works. 



104 
BRICK MANUFACTURERS. 
Oklahoma City Press Brick Co., John 
Kelsch, P. D. Kerry on. 

BROKERS. 
A. C. Barlow, George Barnett, R. J. 
Edwards, Louis Kerkle, Dibble Commis- 
sion Co. 

BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCIA- 
TIONS. 
Oklahoma City Building and Loan Co., 
Standard Investment and Loan Co. 

BUSINESS COLLEGES. 
Capital City Business College, Okla- 
homa City Business College, Southwest- 
ern Business University. 

CANDY MANUFACTURERS. 
Blue Ribbon Candy Manufacturing Co. 

CARPET RENOVATORS. 

C. L. Knowles. 

CARRIAGE MANUFACTURERS. 
Main Street Carriage Company, Okla- 
homa Carriage Works. 

CASH REGISTERS. 
National Cash Register Company. 

CHINA AND GLASSWARE. 
The Fair, Mitchell & Shearer. 

CIGAR MANUFACTURERS. 
Wm. Barr, Wm. Hubycka. 
CIGARS AND TOBACCO (Wholesale.) 

D. Wolff & Son, F. E. Patterson & Co. 

CIVIL ENGINEERS. 
J. P. Barnard, Charles Chamberlain. 



105 
CLOTHING. 
Lion Store, Boston Clothing Store, B. 
and M. Clothing House, Burton-Gaines, 
Gerson Brothers, D. Goldstein & Co., M. 
Herskowitz, Hub Clothing Company — 
S. C. Heyman, S. G. Hasgall; Stein Bros., 
J. R. Douglas. 

COAL AND WOOD. 
(Wholesale and Retail.) 
Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf, R. J. 
Clark, A. M. DeBolt, Charles G. Frost, 
J. B. Garrison, W. W. Green, W. B. Hill, 
Kramer, Grant and Co., Jefferson Pen- 
nington, Marion Pennington, Southwest- 
ern Grain & Coal Co., W. H. Markwell. 
COLLECTION AGENTS. 
Oklahoma Collection Agency, U. S. 
Collecting Agency. 

COMMISSION MERCHANTS. 
Chespeake Commission Company, A. 
T. Murphy Commission Company. 
CONFECTIONERS. 
Mrs. Mayer, J. S. Clark, Jr., A. S. 
Gechter, R. L. Green, Mrs. Lillie M. 
Kirby, J. W. Miller, Isaac Star, Mrs. 
Mayers. 

CONTRACTORS. 
Commodore P. Beauchamp, Loda W. 
Robinson, Campbell & Campbell, Henry 
W. Highsmith, Martin & McDonald, R. 
C. Westmoreland, J. M. Conkwright, D. 
O. Adams, W. M. Adams, N. J. Ander- 
son, Cyrus Bain, James Bowser, J. S. 



106 

Boyd, Will Boyer, L. P. Brasseau, Joe 
E. Bundschuh, W. H. Burdiek, H. F. 
Butler, Louis Carr, C. M. Dailey, Robert 
Duffield, W. H. Edwards, J. W. Elston, 
Alfred M. Estes, George Foor, M. A. 
Foster, Choral France, Win. Goulding, 
J. W. Hawk, E. T. Hicks, A. G. Hill, 
Wm. Huddleson, John R. Hughes, J. M. 
Huntsman, Barney Hyeinck. James In- 
galls, D. P. James, J. L. Jones, Robert 
Kruger, L. F. Lee, L. W. Leland, John 
Lucas, J. T. Martin. Chas. F. Merritt, 

D. C. Moreland, J. J. Morton, George 
Nelson, George New, Wm. P. Nolan, T. 
G. O'Keefe, James H. Pap, Scott Page, 
G. M. Parker, Henry Peck, Chas. Pegg, 
George W. Pedigo, L. Percifield, Fred 
Pettee, Nels Reustrom, P. Q. Robin, 
Chas. Roney, Warren C. Sadler, T. B. 
Seawell, H. E. Shull, T. R. Smith, H. L. 
Strough, M. A. Swatek, C. F. Swayze, * 
Frank Swayze, J. W. Switzer, Thomas 
& Casad, A. F. Todd, Thomas Tracy, J. 

E. Turner, A. L. Urban, T. J. Vochoka, 
Wm. Y. Wallace, John Zigler, 0. W. 
Zigler. 

COLD STORAGE PLANTS. 
Oklahoma Ice and Cold Storage Co., 
Black's Cold Storage. 

COTTON BUYERS. 
American Cotton Company, Neil P. 
Anderson & Co., Western Cotton Com- 
pany, J. M. Williams. 



107 
COTTON COMPRESS. 
Oklahoma Cotton Compress Company. 

COTTON GINNERS. 
A. M. DeBolt, Oklahoma Cotton Gin 
and Grain Company. 

COTTON SEED OIL. 
Southwestern Cotton Seed Oil Co. 

DENTAL SUPPLIES. 
E. E. Kirkpatrick, C. D. Coil Dental 
Supply Company. 

DENTISTS. 
C. D. Coil, A. M. Detrick, J. W. Grant, 
E. E. Kirkpatrick, J. B. Norris, R. D. 
Parsons, Chicago Dental Parlor, W. M. 
Stone, Albany Dentists. 

DRESS MAKERS. 
Mrs. Annie Boiling, Mrs. Eva Branch- 
er, Mrs. Elenor V. Claz, Mrs. R. L. Col- 
vert, Mrs. Alice Donovan, Mrs. Kate 
Edgett, Mrs. Josie Fingar, Annie C. 
Islinger, Mary E._ Islinger, Mrs. Lizzie 
M. Luke, Mrs. H. A. Lynch, Mrs. Kate 
M. Mann, Miss Florence Mayer, F. M. 
Nelson, Mrs. Francis Rheudy, Misses. 
Shepherd, Mrs. Susan Sides, Mrs. M. J. 
Williams. 

DRUGGISTS (Wholesale.) 
Alexander Drug Company, Oklahoma 
Drug Company. 

DRUGGISTS (Retail.) 
City Drug Store, Gerson's Drug Store, 
C. B. Haley, Harmon Pharmacy, City 
Pharmacy, Model Drug and Jewelry 



108 
Company, J. M. Remington Pharmacy, 
Scott & Co., John Wand, Boston Wilson. 
DRY GOODS. 
Burton, Gaines & Co., Max Hersko- 
witz, Kansas City Cash Store, Lion 
Store, McGlinchey, F. J. Mercantile Co., 
Mitscher-Mitchell Dry Goods Co., Steel 
& Moore, Samuel White, J. M. Lilmans, 
The Syndicate Store. 

DYERS AND CLEANERS. 
A. C. Gould, J. N. Reading. 

ELECTRICIANS. 

Inter-State Electrical Supply Co. 

EMPLOYMENT AGENTS. 
Francis & Farley, J. A. J. Baugus, 
National Information Bureau. 

EXPRESS COMPANIES. 

Wells, Fargo & Co., Express. 

FEATHER RENOVATORS. 
J. W. Row. 

FEED, HAY AND GRAIN . 
A. M. DeBolt, J. B. Garrison, W. B. 
Hill, G. A. Holcomb, S. C. Holcomb, 
Kramer, Grant & Co., Lee Mullins, C. O. 
Russell, S. W. Grain & Coal Co., Hough 
& High. 

FEED MILLS. 
Joseph Hagen. 

FENCE MANUFACTURERS. 
Anchor Fence Company. 
FLORISTS. 
Oklahoma Floral Company. 



109 
FLOURING MILLS. 

Acme Milling Company, Oklahoma 
Mill & Elevator Co., Plansifter Milling 
Company. 

FOUNDRIES AND MACHINISTS. 

C. A. Crowder, Conrad Ehret, Oklaho- 
ma Foundry and Machine Shop, N. S. 
Sherman Machinery Company, Zalondek 
& Taylor. 

FRUITS (Wholesale.) 
K. W. Dawson, A. Morrison & Co. 

FRUITS (Retail.) 

Broadway Fruit House, Da.nreu.ther 
Grocery Company, A. Meyer, Isaac Star, 
C. C. Wilder. 

FURNITURE. 

Chicago Furniture Company, Oklaho- 
ma Furniture Company, Schweinle & 
Monroney, Street-Reed Furniture Com- 
pany, Jasper Sipes: 

GAS LAMPS. 
J. P. Hodge, Moulton Gas Lamp Co. 

GRAN ELEVATORS. 
Frank Mach, O K Star Elevator, Ok- 
lahoma City Elevator Company, Acme 
Milling Company, Star Plansifter. 

GROCERS (Wholesale.) 
Alton-Davis Mercantile Company, 
Brough & Robinson, Fightmaster Gro- 
cery Company, McCord-Collins Company 
Williamson-Halsell-Frasier Company. 



110 
GROCERS (Retail.) 
J. B. Tyamony & Co., Trueblood & 
Brady, Brough & Robinson, Lonk-Mylins 
Mercantile Company, Danreuther Gro- 
cery Company, Fightmaster Grocery 
Company Ross & Richardson, D. M. 
Hadlock & Son, T. A. Whetstone, J. I. 
Barrett, Joseph Brown, Jr., J. C. Carr 
& Son, J. B. Cross, C. E. Estabrook, H. 
C. Finley, Z. T. Flood, De-Ford & Co., 
T. D. Gainer, G. A. Holcomb, J. M. John- 
son, G. C. McCutcheon, Joe McFarland, 
J. S. Morrow, D. B. Smith, Steele & 
Moore, Stoll & Lahann, T. M. Taylor, 
W. T. Tucker, W. S. Williams. 
GUNSMITHS.. 
C. Hast, Oklahoma Cycle and Supply 
Company, R. B. Stuart. 
HARDWARE, STOVES AND TIN- 
WARE. 
W. P. Dilworth, Armstrong Hardware 
Company, Laird's Hardware Company. 
W. J. Pettee & Co., N. B. Utt. 

HARNESS AND SADDLERY. 
A. C. Sims & Son, Oklahoma Saddlery 
CfOmpa.iry. J. W. Pettee & Co., T. J. 
Griffith. 

HEATING APPARATUS. 
Oklahoma Liquified Gas Company. 

HIDES, WOOL AND FUR. 
Jean-Hurst-Redfearn Produce Co., Ok- 
lahoma Hide and Wool Co., Charts 
Post. A. T. Murphy Produce Company. 



Ill 

HOTELS 

Hotel Lee. Arcade Hotel, Grand Ave- 
nue Hotel. Windsor Hotel. Compton 
Hotel, Columbia Hotel, Choctaw Hotel, 
North Side Hotel. McGregor Hotel, 
Plyanter's Hotel. Waverly Hotel. Perrine 
Hotel. 

HOUSEMOVERS. 

Joseph Burleson, Harry Calhoun, G. 
C. Shotwell. Dan Wright. 

ICE MANUFACTURERS. 

Anheuser-Busch Ice Plant, Oklahoma 
Ice and Cold Storage Co. 

INSTALLMENT GOODS. 

E. Howard & Co. 

INSURANCE AGENTS. 

Blackwelder Company, Colcord, Gai- 
breath & Shelley, Johnson & Kramer, 
L. Overholsfr & Co., T. M. Upshaw & 
Co,, Easley & Williams, J. C. Clark, F. 
L. Conger, W. R. Dillon, J. B. Harrell, 
Jay M. Jackson, Johns Bros., H. M. 
Raniey, W. A. Knott, Lowe & Jackson, 
G. B. Stone, W. T. Tate. 

JEWELERS (Wholesale.) 

K. O. Antene, Boasen & Brookhouser, 
J. R. Butler, Miss Annie Hohmann, 
Model Drug and Jewelry Company, R. 
O. Norman, Pollock Jewelry Company, 
George Upmann, J. F. Hartwell. 

LADIES FURNISHING GOODS. 
M. J. Baum & Co. 



112 
LAUNDRIES. 
John Lee (Chinese), W. B. Jones 
Lobo (Chinese), Oklahoma City Steam 
Laundry. Palace Steam Laundry, Sam 
Lee (Chinese), Up-To-Date Laundry. 
LIME AND CEMENT. 
Davidson & Case, A. M. DeBolt, W. W. 
Green, S. M. Gloyd, S. W. Grain and 
Coal Co., T. L. Neves. 

LIQUORS (Wholesale.) 
James Marrinan, Wolff & Sons. Fred 
Foster & Co. 

LIVE STOCK DEALERS. 
Oklahoma City Live Stock Company. 
D. M. Phillips. Taylor & McCormick, 
George Hales, W. D. Hales. 

LIVERY STABLES. 
A. Brotherton, Eureka Barn, Walter 
Fry, Glaser Bros., Charles Glaser, Hop- 
kins & Son, D. M. Phillips, Horses' 
Home, W. M. Jones, J. K. Perrine, 
Grand Avenue Livery, S. R. Griffin. 
LOANS. 
Waddington Loan Company, Black- 
welder, Company. Colcord. Galbreath & 
Shelley, Deming Investment Company, 
Union Trust Company, F. C. Finerty & 
Co., Peyton & Thomsen, Jay M. Jack- 
son Real Estate Co.. Midland Savings 
and Loan Company, Loughmiller & Car- 
ey, Johnson & Kramer, Brandon & Bro- 
gan, Ed L. Dunn & Co., J. P. Barnard, 
J. A. J. Baugus. Brissey & Hall, B. E. 




By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route* 

HOME. SWEET HOME, IN OKLAHOMA. 



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By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route* 

A KAFFIR CORN FIELD IN LINCOLN COUNTY. 



113 

Chapin, J. D. Evans, Francis & Farley, 
Frizzell & Ford, C. A. Gardner, W. M. 
Grant, Holmes Bros., J. Holzapfel, Johns 
Bros., L. Kerker, W. A. Knott, Geo. W. 
Limerick, Lowe & Jackson, G. H. Lynds, 
Henry Miles. Owen & Welsh, Perry & 
Dowden, H. D. Price, W. C. Rowland, 
Geo. J. Shields. Thome Bros., Eugene 
Wallace' J. B. Wheeler, Williams & 
Goss. 
LUMBER, LATH AND SHINGLES. 

Davidson & Case. Gault Lumber Com- 
pany. Gloyd & Hibbetts, S. M. Gloyd, A. 
Ket chain. J. P. Martin, Ragon & At- 
wood, T. L. Neves, Southwestern Lum- 
ber company, W. W. Storm Lumber 
Company, G. W. Turley, 
MARBLE AND GRANITE WORKS. 

Oklahoma City Marble Works, South- 
western Marble and Granite Works. 
MATTRESS MAKERS. 

J. C. Walker, Stre'et & Reed. 
MEATS (Wholesale.) 

Armour Packing Company, Cudahy 
Packing Company. Dold Packing Com- 
pany. Swift & Co., Fred Hoefer Packing 
Company, Harp & Moore, T. F. Offield. 
MEAT MARKETS. 

Abercrombie & Son, Richard Barth, W. 
H. Butcher, H. C. Finley, Henry Fritsch, 
Fultz Meat Market, J. L. Ladd, Isaac 
Loewenstein, D. R, Norris, Alex Venci, 
DeFord & Co.. Fightmaster Company. 



114 
MERCANTILE AGENCIES. 
The Bradstreet Company, R. G. Dunn 
& Co. 

MESSENGER SERVICE. 
American District Telephone Company. 

MILLINERY. 
M. J. Baum & Co., Ed GJompton, Tootle 
& Weakley Millinery Company, J. M. 
Wilmans, Mrs. Emma Williams, Mrs. J. 
L. Woodworth. 

MINERAL WATERS. 
J. R, Blair, C. G. Frost. 

MUSIC TEACHERS. 

Ethelbert W. Eggleston, Miss Bessie 
Gosette, Miss Lillie H. Gunter, Pearl R. 
Hulett, Clara Miller, J. R. Muller, A. E. 
Tomlin, Mss Eleanor Work, Mrs. T. W. 
York. 

MUSIC AND MUSICAL SUPPLIES. 

Armstrong, Smith & Co., Luke & Mc- 
Adams, Pryer & Frederickson. 
NEWSPAPERS. 

The Guide, (Weekly), McMaster's 
Magazine, Oklahoma . Echo, Oklahoma 
Farmer, Oklahoma Labor Signal, Okla- 
homa School Herald, Oklahoman, (Daily 
and Weekly), Presbyterian Review, 
Times -Journal (Every afternoon except 
Sunday, and Weekly.) 

NURSES. 

Mrs. M. J. Creighton, R. J. Plumstead, 
Mrs. J. L. Ladd. 



115 

OIL (Wholesale.) 
"Waters-Pierce Oil Company. 
PACKING HOUSES. 
Hoefer Packing Company. 

PAINTERS. 
Jack Cunningham, Eastland Bros., J. 
H. Hulse, J. F. Jersezy & Co.. G. K. 
Kaiser. Morris Levinson. Stice & Hoer- 
ing, J. B. Wilson & Sons. 

PAINTS, OILS AND GLASS. 
A. M. Hughes & Co.. Alexander Drug 
Company. Eastland Bros.. C. B. Haley, 
Oklahoma Drug Company, Oklahoma 
Sash and Door Company. Moled Drug 
and Jewelry Company, Scott & Co., John 
Wand. Boston Wilson. 

PAPER (Wholesale.) 
Oklahoma. Paper Company. 

PENSION AGENTS. 
J. T. Hickey, Drury Holt. 
PHOTOGRAPHERS. 
J. W. Hall, E. W. Hamilton. J. B. 
Kingham, Rienzi Knox. North Losey. E. 
W. Oliver. 

PHYSICIANS. 
Helf & Messenbaugh. Thomas B. Sat- 
terrleld, Bradford & Bradford. Mrs. Mag- 
gie A. Fay. McClane & M^Clane. Dr. 
Rogers, Dr. Robillard, Dr. Polleys, Miss 
Minerva Lewis, Walker & Wilker. T. S. 
Allen. Baird & Wilkin, Blackshear Bros., 
T. H. Boyce, C. E. Bradley, L. H. Buxton, 
W. H. Clutter. Cravens & Reilv, G A. 



1*6 

Wall, A. E. Cullen, Grant Cullimore, E. 
L. Dagley, H. R. Dean, K. T. EdAvards, 
John Fee, R. W. Higgins, A. W. Holland, 
E. A. Jones, T. B. Mayfield, J. R, Mc- 
Ilvain, J. J. McKanna, Milton MeMur- 
tay, J. B. Rolater, J. A. Reck, W. L. 
Russell, J. C. Ryan, W. T. Salmon, Wil- 
son Stuve, A. K. West, E. W. Witten, 
Dr. Selway, Dr. Jurgens. 

PIANO TUNERS. 

Jaseph Bubser. 

PLANING MILLS. 

East Side Planing Mill, J. H. Myer^ 
Oklahoma Planing Mill. 

PLUMBERS. 

Hamilton Bros., W. F. Binns, C. A. 
Crowder. 

REAL ESTATE. 

Colcord, Galbreath & Shelley, Black- 
welder Company, Jay M. Jackson Real 
Estate Company, F. C. Finnerty & Son, 
Loughmiller & Carey, Brandom & Bro- 
gan, Johnson & Kramer, W. H. Holley & 
Co., J. P. Barnard, J. A. J. Baugus, 
Bridges & Story, Brissey & Hall, B. E. 
Chapin, Robert Chowning, Ed L. Dunn 
& Co., J. D. Evans, Sasley & Co., Fran- 
cis & Farley, Francis & Harness, Frizzell 
& Ford, I. R. Fuller, Geary & Luke, J. 
D. Heady, Hess & Collins, John Halzap- 
fel, W. A. Knott, J. S. Lindsey, Lowe & 
& Jackson, G. H. Lynds, F. F. Osborne, 
Owen & Welsh, Perry & Dowden, J. W. 



117 

Ragon, V. H. Selken, Geo. J. Shields, W. 

M. Smith, D. J. Spencer, G. B. Stone, 

Thome Bros., Young & Francis. 

RESTAURANTS. 

Broadway Fruit House, Novelty Res- 
taurant, Choctaw Restaurant, Foster & 
Smalley, Brooks & Son, J. K. Heim, The 
Hobson, Merchants Cafe, Lewis Payne, 
A. F. Reub, Saddle Rock, F. T. Tucker, 
Union Cafe, Will & Jake, L. F. Williams, 
W. C. Wilson. 

ROOFERS. 

J. I. Gray, Oklahoma Asphalt Pav- 
ing and Roofing Company, J. J. Wallace. 
RUBBER STAMP MANUFACTURERS. 

John Wand. 

SALE STABLES. 

Wm. Hales, D. M. Phillips, Geo. Hales, 
S. R. Griflin. 

SALOONS. 

Burgess & Reynolds, Grand Avenue 
Hotel Bar, J. M. McCormack, Yellow- 
stone Saloon, Broadwey Saloon, O. B. 
Stanton, Charles Baize, Cane & Turk, 
W. C. Cochran, Columbia Saloon, I. N. 
Evans, Haley Bros., Haney & Boyce, 
Harry Hickey, John Hrabe, Kemp Bros., 
Wm. Kuenkle, S. B. Magee, James Mar- 
rinan, Merchants Saloon, C. H. Paslay, 
N. B. Pierpont, Oscar Reagan, Weis & 
Bitsche. Southern Club, J. M. Spain. 
SASH, DOORS AND BLINDS. 

Oklahoma Sash and Door Company. 



118 
SECOND HAND GOODS. 
B. R. Harrington, Conrad Hast, Abe 
Levy & Bro., G. H. Newey, Schweinle & 
Monroney, The Household, Chicago Fur- 
niture Store, Singer Manufacturing Co. 
STORAGE. 
A. C. Weicker, Pyle & Ryan, E. S. Wy- 
kert, O K Transfer and Storage Co. 
TAILORS. 
J. R. Douglas, Hadlock Bros., Hoff- 
man Tailoring Company, G. A. Kegereis, 
John Southman, J. M. Traub, Wm. M. 
Williams. 

TELEPHONE COMPANIES. 
Missouri and Kansas Telephone Co., 
Citizens Independent Telephone Co. 



Fire Department* 

Oklahoma City has a fire department 
of which it can well feel proud, and it is 
safe to state that it is one of the best 
part-paid departments in the country. 
The chief, John Marrinan, has been a 
fire fighter for years and his efficiency 
is not only recognized in this city, but 
he has had repeated calls to other cities 
that are larger for his services. Re- 
cently in appreciation of his ability his 
salary has been raised by the present 
city administration and he will continue 
to be the fire chief, politics have in no 
way been allowed to influence the fire 



119 
department and the men are of all 
political opinion. 

The department has been housed for 
a number of years in a wooden building 
that was placed at the rear of some busi- 
ness property but the present adminis- 
tration has purchased a fine location 
for a new central station and the plans 
are now being drawn for the building 
that will occupy the new site and it 
will be but three or four months until 
the department headquarters will be 
equal to all the demands that will be 
necessary. Another house will be built 
as soon as possible in the north part of 
the city and the force of paid men will 
then be increased. 

The following is a roster of the pres- 
ent force: 

Chief, John Marrinan; C. F. Robinson, 
driver; Andy Strasberg, plugman; 
Harley Williams, nozzle. 

The volunteer organization is as fol- 
lows: 

1ST. J. Anderson, assistant chief; Fred 
Carr, president; Frank Anderson, secre- 
tary; W. T. Parker, treasurer; Frank 
Skinner, foreman; Thurston Renfrow, 
seargeant-at-arms; Members: Antone 
Meyers, Harry Ferry, Clarence Robinson, 
William Buck, George Garrison, John 
Cassida, Frank Gorman, Jas. Doyle, and 
Blanche Jesup, substitute. 



120 
The total number of runs for the year 
to date is forty-four and the total dam- 
age sustained in the year amounts to 
but $3,305, and all of this amount was 
covered by insurance. 

The total cost of the department as 
per annexed detailed statement, is $3,- 
018.46, and makes the cost of the de- 
partment to the citizens about 33 cents 
each for the year. This is the cheapest 
fire protection in the whole country and 
at many places where they have part 
paid departments the cost to the people 
figures as high as $1.50 per capita: 

Expenses Oklahoma City Fire Depart- 
ment for the year 1900: 
Regular Firemen Salaries .... $2,147.45 
Volunteer Firemen Salaries .... 90.00 

Special Firemen Salaries 90.50 

Feeding Horses 96.70 

Shoeing Horses 15.10 

Drugs and Veteranary Services, 21.75 

Extra Horse Hire 4.00 

Extra Wagon Hire 42,00 

Washing Bed Clothes 6.00 

Repair and Paint Hook and Lad- 
der Truck 100.00 

One New Hose Wagon 392.00 

Freight on Hose Truck 66.46 

Insurance 25 00 

Plumbing 1.50 

Total $3,018.46 



121 
Official Directory* 

XL'S. Judge, B. F. Burwell. 

Clerk of U. S. Court, B, D. Shear. 

Register U. S. Land Office, S. S. Price. 

Receiver U. S. Land Office, Anton EL 
^Classen. 

U. S. Commissioner, MacGregor Doug- 
las. 

Postmaster, Samuel Murphy. 

Assistant Postmaster, Will Overholser. 

U. S. Weather Bureau, Section Ob- 
server, C. M. Strong. 

Guager, W. W. Asher. 

Special Agent U. S. Land Department, 
D. L. Sleeper. 

Postoffice Inspector, Frank Bebee. 

Referee in Bankruptcy, E. E. Hennes- 
sey. 

CITY OFFICERS. 

Mayor, Lee Van Winkle. 

Members of the Council, J. M. McCart- 
ney, F. M. Gault, Ed L. Dunn, A. L. 
Welsh, W. A. Huddleson, W. P. Parks, 
J. S. Morrow, Joseph Hagen, W. J. 
Pettee, James Geary. 

City Clerk, Geo. W. Spencer. 

Chief of Police, W. B. Hendry. 

Police Judge, John W. Ozmun. 

Street Commissioner, Wm. M. Warren. 

Chief Fire Department, John Marrinan 
BOARD OF EDUCATION". 

E. J. Streeter, President. 



122 

E. A. Monroney, Secretary. 

MacGregor Douglas, A. B. Hammer, 
Frank McMaster, W. F. Thorne, Richard 
Avey, C. B. Bradford, J. B. Garrison. 
CITY CLUB. 

A. H. Classen, President. 

J. McKee Owen, Secretary. 

Clifton George, Corresponding Secre- 
tary. 

Directors : 

W. W. Storm, S. C. Heyman, C. B. 
Ames, M. C. Milner, MacGregor Douglas. 
COUNTY OFFICIALS. 

Sheriff, M. O'Brien. 

Treasurer, W. L. Alexander. 

Register of Deeds, C. W. Bowman. 

County Attorney, W. R. Taylor. 

Probate Judge, J. P. Allen. 

County Superintendent, Alice Y. Beit- 
man. 

County Clerk, Richard Caffrey. 

Assessor, C. R. Goucher. 

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. 

Peter Wilderson, Ed Malone, L. B. 
Stone. 



Oklahoma City Postoffice* 

Four years ago the Oklahoma City 
postoffice was doing considerable less 
than half the business it does to-day. 
Four years ago one office in Oklahoma, 
the Guthrie postoffice, was ahead of the 






123 
Oklahoma City office in volume of busi- 
ness done. To-day Oklahoma City'& 
postoffice receipts are sixty per cent 
greater than the receipts of any other 
postoffice in Oklahoma. 

For September, October and November 
of 1897, the receipts were $3,515; for the 
same months in 1898 they were $4,773; 
for 1899, $6,440; for 1900, $8,727. 

The month just closed shows heavier 
receipts than for any other month in the 
history of the office. The footings of 
the month's business have not been made 
yet but it will reach fully $9,300 and 
may go above that figure. 



Oklahoma City's Schools* 

Oklahoma's school system is patterned 
after the system adopted by Kansas, i e: 
the independent district system for the 
country with permihsion-to create town- 
ship high schools. The district schools 
are magnificently endowed with sections 
16 and 36 which are leased to farmers 
and stock raisers and bring princely re- 
venues. 

The territory is provided with a uni- 
versity, an agricultural college, two nor- 
mal schools, a school for the deaf and 
dumb, and a university and agricultural 
college combined, for negroes. These 
schools are richly endowed with lands. 



124 

Oklahoma City's schools are housed in 
the finest school structures in Oklaho- 
ma, the five buildings and the grounds 
being valued at $128,000. 

The city schools were most fortunate 
in securing a magnificent endowment 
through an act of congress. Adjoining 
Oklahoma City was a military reserva- 
tion consisting of 160 acres of fine land. 
After order was fully restored in Okla- 
homa the government had no further use 
for it so congress gave it to our city 
schools. The district is bonded for only 
$48,000, has $128,000 worth of school 
property, has $4,000 in its building fund, 
holds $40,000 worth of mortgage notes 
on lots sold to private individuals and 
owns $6,000 worth of town lots. 

The schools are - now greatly crowded, 
and steps are being taken to build a 
new high school which will cost about 
$45,000. 

The schools have increased amazingly 
during the past three years, as the fol- 
lowing table of enrollment will show: 

Enrollment, 1898 1300 

Enrollment, 1899 1800 

Enrollment, now 2400 

Probable enrollment at end of year,2600 

The following is the roster of teach 
ers now employed. Five of them teach 



i 



125 

under the half day system, having two 
sets of pupils: 

I. M. Holcomb, Superintendent, teach- 
er of General History. 

HIGH SCHOOL. 

Virginia Graves, Prin. Math. 

Julia E. Gray, Language and Elocution. 

W. Tempelton, Science. 

Mrs. T. G. Chambers, English. 

Marion Y. McCune, Vocal Music, 
Civics. 

IRVING SCHOOL. 

W. S. Richardson, Prin. Eighth Grade. 

Stella Hennessey, Seventh Grade. 

Sadie C. Hoover, Sixth Grade. 

Virginia Streeter, Fifth Grade. 

May Avey, Fourth Grade. 

Jennie Sutton, Second and Third 
Grades. 

Mable Etter, Primary. 

WEBSTER SCHOOL. 

Mary D. Couch, Prin. Eight Grade. 

Chas. A. Daugherty, Third and Fourth 
Grades. 

Ocie Butler, Second Grade. 

Ella Martin, Primary. 

WASHINGTON SCHOOL. 

R. S. Hiner, Prin. Seventh Grade. 

Ella Eagin, Sixth Grade. 

Mary McCullough, Fifth Grade. 

May Bodine, Fourth Grade. 

Christine Steanson, Third Grade. 

Sue Belle Graves, Second Grade. 



126 
Laura Stafford, Second Primary. 
Lou M. Benson, Mrst Primary. 

EMERSOX SCHOOL. 
phas. E. Dailey, Prin. Seventh Grade. 
Mary Fox, Sixth Grade. 
Ada Jarboe, Fifth Grade. 
Ettie F. Sampey, Fourth Grade. 
Daisy Williams, Second Grade. 
Sallie E. Gassaway, Primary. 

DOUGLAS SCHOOL (Colored.) 
J. W. Sharpe, Pn i. High School. 
Mrs. Turner, Seventh Grade. 
Sarah Lyle, Fourth Grade. 
Bertha Richardson, Third Grade. 
Miss Randolph, Second Primary. 
Hattie P. Johnson, First Primary, 



Oklahoma City Club* 

The Oklahoma City Club has 200 mem- 
bers, all enterprising business men of 
the city. The funds divided from mem- 
bership fees go to pay a secretary, to 
pay the rent of a suite of nicely furnish- 
ed rooms, to pay postage and to supply 
stationery, fuel, lights, etc. 

The purpose of the organization is to 
keep open a place where strangers may 
meet the city business men, and where 
the business men may meet and discuss 
matters of common interest. The pric- 
cipal purpose of the organization, how- 
ever, is to push the manufacturing and 



127 

jobbing interests of the city. The sec- 
retary answers all inquiries, looks up in- 
formation, takes charge of individuals 
who desire to look over the city with 
a view to locating a factory or a. job- 
bing house. 

Mr. A. H. Classen is president and Mr. 
Clifton George is secretary. A letter 
of inquiry addressed to either will bring 
a prompt response. 




PART II. 



INTRODUCTION. 

Having lived for two years on the bor- 
der of the Kiowa and Comanche Indian 
Reservation I am in a position to give 
the reader a lucid, truthful pen picture 
of the country in question, supported by 
articles from the GoA'ernor and State 
Senators, hoping it will be of value to 
the homeseeker and perhaps save time 
and expense of a long trip and perhaps 
some disappointment. "All is not gold 
that glitters," "The best land is not al- 
ways ahead,'' "There is more in the man 
than in the land." These pages will tell 
the truth about Oklahoma City, O. T., 
and neither cloud nor gild the Promised 
Land to be opened for settlement about 
August 1st, 1901, known as the Kiowa- 
Comanche-Apache Indian Reservation. 

No one knows or appreciates more 
than I do the responsibility a person as- 
sumes, when by anything he says or 
writes, he induces any person to leave 
his home place and cast his lot amidst 
strange people, entirely new conditions, 




By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route. 

HARVESTING, 12 MILES FROM NEWKIRK. 




By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route* 

CLEVELAND COUNTY WHEAT FIELD. 



129 
climatic and socially. "Home is where 
the virtues grow." My advice is this: If 
you are doing reasonably well, stay 
where you are, surrounded by the peo- 
ple who know you, where you can get 
credit if you need it, where your note 
is worth something at your home bank. 
If your surroundings are not congen- 
ial, your land not productive or too 
high in price, come to Oklahoma, O. T. 
No State in the Union has a better 
average climate or soil: it is truly a fair 
land with many advantages. Eight hun- 
dred thousand people live in Oklahoma 
Territory — they dwell there in peace and 
plenty; a school house or church on 
every hill where needed; a progressive, 
enlightened people are here doing their 
part to make Oklahoma greater. It is 
great now: greater than any other Ter- 
ritory in population, wealth and mater- 
ial posibilities that has asked to be ad- 
mitted into the Union of States. 

PHILIP L. ALEXANDRE. 



130 



The Passing of the Frontier* 

What a train of thought springs to 
mind at the sound of these words! The 
dawning of a new century witnesses the 
rounding out of the most marvelous 
achievement in the history of man — 
civilization's rapid conquest of a conti- 
nent. At the birth of the Nineteenth 
Century, American civilization was con- 
fined to a strip of land a few hundred 
miles wide, bounded on the east by the 
long coast line of the ocean which its 
founders had crossed; on the west by an 
inhospitable wilderness, which was 
vaguely known as "the frontier." — a re- 
gion that seemed then tp be as vast 
and boundless as the very sea itself. 

The older commonwealths were near- 
ly all settled by * communities, often un- 
der government bounty or encourage- 
ment. Not so with the real conquest of 
the continent which was then to beg»n. 
Having established itself on the Atlantic 
coast, civilization began its real march 
towards its destiny in America, not by 
means of colonies, but through the 
agency of individual families composing 
the tide of emigration which poured over 
the Alleghanys. Then "the frontier" was 
pushed back little by little and Ohio be- 
came the first born commonwealth of the 



131 

Nineteenth Century even as Oklahoma 
is to become the first born State of the 
Twentieth Century. 

The story of this resistless march 
from Ohio to Oklahoma is the Alpha and 
Omega of the American frontier. It is a 
story that is not equalled elsewhere in 
the annals of human history. In no other 
single century has such - a change been 
wrought, and the tale abounds in inci- 
dents that are tragic, pathetic, heroic 
and romantic. The deeds of Leonidas, 
and Horatius and Tell have been equal- 
led if not surpassed scores, yea hun- 
dreds of times — deeds worthy of the pen 
of Homer, a Goethe or a Scott. The 
frontier fathers dared to do and to die 
that the destiny of posterity might 
shape itself into a peaceful and prosper- 
ous order of society. The pioneer mother 
of the comonwealth was ever ready to 
suffer and to sacrifice that her children 
might have homes in a happy land — she 
willing to undergo that she might over- 
come. 

The ending of one historical epoch 
and the beginning of another — the pass- 
ing of a mile-stone in the course of a 
national life, as it were— is always 
fraught with peculiar interest to any 
people. It is not alone the student of 
history, watching every changing phase 
of human existence, who pauses in con- 



132 
templation of such a time. The busy man 
of affairs, who usually looks only at the 
practical and utilitarian side of life, the 
thoughtful man, with whom matters of 
sentiment always receives a full meas- 
ure of consideration, and even the care- 
less one who recognizes no philosophy 
in the relations of life — all must be im- 
pressed at such a time. 

Inch by inch, acre by acre, and town- 
ship by township, the rifle of the regular, 
the plow of the pioneer and the caravan 
of commerce have erased forever from 
the map of the continent what was once 
known as the American frontier, until, 
today, but little remains and as such 
that little is soon to pass into history. 
The Kiowas, Comanches, Apaches of 
the plains, Wichitas and affiliated tribes 
are the only Indians in Oklahoma who 
are native "to the manor born," their 
present reservation being a part of the 
original habitat. All other tribes resi- 
dent in the two Territories were placed 
upon their respective reservations by 
the Federal government after having 
been removed from other States. And 
now those once wild tribes of the plains 
are to take their allotments and become 
citizens with the white men for neigh- 
bors. 

Thus ends the great pioneering move- 
ment. 



133 

Kiowa-Comanche Country* 

The great Kiowa and Comanche In- 
dian reservation, which is rapidly be- 
coming a center of public interest be- 
cause of the fact that it is to be soon 
thrown open to settlement, is situated 
in the southwestern part of Oklahoma. 
Its greatest extension from north to 
south is about eighty miles and the 
greatest extension from east to west is 
about the same. In outline it is some- 
what irregular, owing to the fact that 
more than half of its boundry is formed 
by river courses. On the north it is 
bounded by Washita county, Oklahoma 
and the Wichita Indian reservation; on 
the east it adjoins the domain of the 
Chickasaw Xation, the 98th meridian of 
longitude forming the boundary line; 
on the south it is bounded by Texas, 
the Red River forming the boundary 
line; on the west it is bounded by Greer 
county, Okla.homa, the boundary being 
formed by the north fork of the Red 
River. 

Its superficial area is nearly 4,600 
square miles or about 3,000,000 acres. 
The land varies in character from a rich 
alluvial bottom and good upland prairie 
to some of the most rugged and sterile 
^mountains in existence. About 4,000 
acres of this total may be set down as 
mountain land. These are of a very 



134 
rough character and, of course, totally 
unfit for agriculture, though interspers- 
ed with numerous parks and valleys 
that present suitable sites for small 
farming operations. The mountains are 
of a granite fomation and many small 
streams 01 pure clear water have their 
source among them. 

The whole reservation is well watered 
and well drained, water courses and liv- 
ing streams being common in all parts. 
The Washita River flows along the 
northern border and receives the dis- 
charge of a number of small streams 
which have their source on the northern 
slope of the Wichita mountain system. 
Probably one-half of the entire reserva- 
tion is drained by Cache creek, the larg- 
est affluent of which have their sources 
on the southern slope of the Wichita 
mountains. It empties into Red River. 
North fork of the Red River has several 
tributaries which rise among the moun- 
tains in the western part of the Wichita 
system. 

The timber that grows on this reser- 
vation is mostly confined to the bottoms 
along the rivers and creeks. It includes 
several species of oak and elm, walnut, 
pecan, hackberry, cottonwood and others. 
Many varieties of grass are indigenous 
to its soil, varying in character and size 
from the velvety mesquite and grama of 



135 
the up-lands to the giant blue-stem of 
the valley lands. For ages the natural 
pasture of the buffalo, it has become 
famous, since their extinction twenty 
years ago, as a region that is most ad- 
mirably adapted to the range cattle in- 
dustry. Indeed, it has been openly 
charged that for some years past the 
influence of the cattlemen has been all- 
powerful in keeping the Indians from 
taking allotments and disposing of their 
surplus lands, but, however, that may be, 
there must be an end to all things and 
now the reign of ranchmen is surely ' 
drawing to a close. It may be stated in 
this connection that these great herds 
have been graded up by the introduction 
of breeding animals of the best beef pro- 
ducing breeds until the typical range cat- 
tle of the Comanche country at this 
time bears but little .resemblance to the 
original Texas longhorn stock of twenty 
years ago. On account of the mild and 
equitable climate stock can be out on 
the range nearly every day of the year. 
At March 1st, this writing, there has not 
been any snow at all this winter, and 
only two days of sleety weather. 

The geological structure of the Com- 
anche country is interesting because of 
its variation, the rocks consisting of 
sandstone, limestone, gypsum, granite 
and volcanic scoriae. It follows that the 



136 
soil of the region varies greatly in char- 
acter according to locality, and the kind 
of rock, the disintegration of which, 
by long ages of weathering, produced it. 
So there are limestone soils, gypsun 
soils and granite soils and all possible 
combinations between these, fro±» an al- 
most pure clay loam to an equa*'.y pure 
silicate or quartz sand. The prairie up- 
lands have generally a heavy sirfaue 
soil of clay loam, always however with 
more or less sand in its co«np >sivim, 
with clay sub-soil. Creek valleys and riv- 
er flood plains have a deep surface soil 
consisting of a sandy alluvian which is 
rich in humus. This quite generally rests 
upon a subsoil of sand and gravel. 

Good building stone is abundant and 
in great variety, ranging from soft sand- 
stone to the hardest granite. 

The mineral resources of the Kiowa- 
Comanche country have been the sub- 
ject of much speculation and also of 
considerable romancing as well. It is 
cofidently asserted by the knowing ones 
that both gold and silver are to be 
found in the Wichita mountains. Cap- 
tain R. B. Marcy, of the United btaics 
army, found copper ore at several points 
within the limits of this reservation 
while on his exploring expedition in ]K£2. 
There are also assertions that coal, pe- 
troleum and natural gas are to found 



137 
there too, but as to these claims no def- 
inite information is obtainable at this 
time. 

There are three thousand Indians on 
the reservation — Comanche, Kiowas and 
Apaches .These Indians are now taking 
up their lands in severalty, being allot- 
ted 160 acres each. This will take about 
480,000 acres of the best lands on the 
reservation. A similar amount will be 
reserved in one body to be used for 
grazing by the Indians. 

Sections numbered 16 and 36 of each 
township are reserved for school pnr 
poses and sections numbered 13 and 33 
of each township are reserved for the 
purpose of creating a public building 
fund for the Territory. The aggregate 
amount of school lands is 159,940 acres 
and of public building lands, 160,200 
acres. There is a Federal timber reserve 
in the eastern part" of the reservation 
which embraces an area of 22,400 acres. 
The Fort Sill military reserve, on the 
eastern border of the Wichita mountains 
contains about 22,000 acres. 

The Rock Island built a line west from 
Chickasha to Mangum, Greer county, 
during the past year. This branch trav- 
erses the northern portion of the res- 
ervation. A spur of this same system is 
projected from Anadarko, on the Man- 
gum branch to Fort Sill a distance of 



138 
about forty miles, and construction on 
the same will begin at an early day. 
The projected extension of the Frisco 
Railway from Oklahoma City to Acme, 
Texas, is in a diagonal direction through 
the reservation from the northeast to 
the southeast. The Choctaw Railway 
company is contemplating a line through 
this reservation. 



Wichita, Kiowa, Comanche and 
Apache Reservations* 

The opening of the Kiowa, Comanche 
and Apache and Wichita reservations 
during the coming summer is now an as- 
sured fact, as is also the manner to be 
adopted. 

Another run will occur, the first to 
enter can file upon the lands thrown 
open in accordance with the presidential 
proclamation will hold title to the prop- 
erty. 

As the Wichita treaty specifically pro- 
vides that twenty days notice should be 
given of the opening of the reservation 
it has been practically decided to issue 
a similar notice in regard to the Kiowa, 
Comanche and Apache country, as both 
reservations will be opened simultan- 
eously. 

The work of alloting and surveying 
the lands will not be completed before 



139 
July 1st and the openin 

occur between July 26 — g — 

1st. 

When the bill was up for considera- 
tion by the Senate committee on public 
lands propositions were submitted for 
selection by lottery. The scheme did not 
meet with the approval of the staid and 
sedate members of that committee, some 
of whom were instrumental in securing 
the pasage of the law which compelled 
the Louisiana Lottery Company to cease 
its operations in the United States. 
Having taken that position, then they 
did not care to authorize the Federal 
government in a similar business, and 
as a result the amendment was prompt- 
ly rejected. 

People have quite generally got the 
idea that the Cherokee Strip affords the 
last of the big openings of Indian Ter- 
ritory reservations.- This is a mistake. 
The Fort Sill country (Kiowa-Coman- 
che-Apache Reservations) is yet to be 
divided. It is said to be a richer jAiie 
for the home-seeker than the Strip. In 
round numbers of acres tb$ Cherokee 
Strip looks more imposing; but fhe 
western third contains sandhills, and is 
fit for little else than grazing. With the 
Fort Sill country the ca^e is different. 
The proportion of fine farmiig land is 
much greater. 



140 

Col. J. D. Miles, of Lawrence, Kans., 
for many years United States Indian 
agent at Darlington Agency, In^uin Ter- 
ritory, contributes the Mowing article 
detailing the many attractions and tew 
drawbacks of this region: 

It is bounded on the cast by the 
Chickasaw Nation, on the north by the 
Washita river, on the west by the north 
fork of the Red River, and on the south 
by the main fork of the Rel River, be- 
ing the north line of Texas. It contains 
2,910,800 acres. There are 2,V43 Xiowas, 
Comanches and Apaches on the reser- 
vation. Deducting 160 acres for each per- 
son — 438,880 acres — leaves a balance of 
2,471,920 acres for settle men:, which is 
equal to 15,490 homesteads. 

This reservation may be properly di- 
vided into two districts; the east half 
being the sandstone format Ion and the 
west half limestone; the eastern portion 
being more level and the western more 
broken. 

The Wichita Mountains a^e located 
in the western portion, west of Fort Sill 
and the Keechi hills are on tne eastern 
line of the reservation. 

The greatest quantity of timber, con- 
sisting of oak, hackbery, waln-it and Cot- 
tonwood, is found south and west of the 
mountains, while the extreme west is 
covered with mesquite timber. 



141 

On the table-lands are found the biu- 
falo grama and mesquite graces, which 
have afforded the best of grazing from 
time immemorial for large herds of 
buffalo, Indian ponies, and Texas steers, 
and is today thickly sodded and in ex- 
cellent condition for maintaining large 
herds of stock. Along the streams and 
in the mountain "draws" are found, the 
year round, fresh green grasses similar 
in character to our blue-grass, which af- 
fords splendid water as well as summer 
range for stock. For protection from the 
"northers" in the winter season, and lor 
shelter from the "hot winds" from the 
"staked plains," tins reservation has al- 
ways been the rendezvous for animals 
and Indians, and will be the "Land of 
Canaan" for the future generations of 
the whites who shall be so fortunate as 
to get a footing. 

In conversation with army officers, 
scouts, and Indian agents who -have been 
located at Fort Sill and the agency, and 
who have traveled over every foot of 
these lands, it is their estimate that 
fully 50 per cent of this reservation may 
be put down as agricultural lands, and 
the other 50 per cent as excellent graz 
ing lands. The bottom lands are best 
adapted to the growth of corn, cotton, 
sorghum and vegetables. The uplands are 
best suited for the growth of wheat, 



142 
rye, oats and all the smaller grains. liy 
planting early a good crop of corn, etc., 
may be raised every year, aul with thoi- 
ough cultivation the farmer may as con- 
fidently expect a good return for his la- 
bor as he would in any of the Western 
or Middle States. During the fifteen 
years the writer was stationed at tLc 
Cheyenne and Arapahoe agency (Fort 
Reno), which is fifty miles nortu of the 
Kiowa and Comanche Reservation, it 
was a matter of record that early vege- 
tables, fruits, etc., were brought into the 
market ten days earlier from the Wash- 
ita country than could be produced at 
the Darlington agency. 

The Kiowa and Comanche country 
abounds in springs of the purest water, 
and almost every stream heads /in a 
picturesque range of mountains, and 
fiows in serpentine form through the 
valleys, on the north into the Washita 
Elver and on the south into the Red 
River. The Washita River, which forms 
the northern boundary of the reserva- 
tion, is the principal stream, and its 
valleys are the broadest and most fer- 
tile and considered the most productive 
of all the lands in Oklahoma. When the 
signal is given to the many thousands 
who will congregate on the border 
ready for the desperate rush there will 
be hot haste made for these lands. 



143 

Beginning at the northeast corner of 
the reservation are found the following 
streams — tributary and emptying into 
the Washita River on the north: Lime 
Creek with its many tributaries, nearly 
all being fed by pure springs. After leav- 
ing the Washita River we pass over to 
the southwest, striking the North Fork 
of the Red River, beginning with Elk 
Creek and its tributaries, Rock Creek 
and its tributaries. The North Fork of 
the Red River here forms the boundary 
between the Kiowa and Comanche and 
what is known as Greer county, Texas, 
over which there is a dispute by the 
General Government and the State of 
Texas. 

On the south comes Red River, with 
tributaries from the reservation, being 
W T est Cache Creek, Deep Red, Big Sandy 
and Little Sandy, Beaver Blue Beaver, 
and Main Cache, all emptying into the 
Red River. Medicine Bluff Creek heads 
in the mountains west of Fort Sill, and 
empties into Cache Creek on the Fort 
Sill Military Reservation, and furnishes 
an abundance of the purest water for 
the post. On the east and north of Fort 
Sill is Lime Creek (containing an inex- 
haustible supply of limestone), Rock 
Creek, Chandler Creek and numerous 
small streams. 

The east boundary is the 98th meri- 



144 
dian, being also the dividing line between 
the Chiekasaws and Kiowas and Coman- 
ches. The numerous branches of all the 
tributaries of the Beavers head lip. in 
the Kiowa and Comanche country, and 
afford an abundance of water and rich 
valley lands. 

Among the mountains of note and dis- 
tinction on this reservation may be 
mentioned Mount Scott, Mount Sheri- 
dan, Saddle Mountain, Medicine Bluff, 
and Signal Mountain, and for beautiful' 
scenery the traveler need go no further 
than some of these mountains to get his 
fill, , as from this elevation he can take 
in at a glance one of the most beautiful 
landscapes his eyes ever beheld. The 
writer has taken a peep from Pike's 
Peak and almost all the other Rocky 
peaks, none of which excel in beauty the 
view from Mount Scott of the Wichita 
Mountains. At the base of these moun- 
tains are some mineral springs, which 
have been examined and analyzed and 
found to contain medicinal properties 
sufficient to support a sanitarium and 
watering place or health resort for 
thousands of suffering humanity. The 
climate is all that one could ask, being 
centrally located between the extremes 
of heat in the summer and cold in the 
winter. The mountains protect from the 
hot winds of the southwest and the 




By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route, 

A FAMOUS FRUIT FARM NEAR LEXINGTON. 




: ' , : ■■:,:-,: .' L 

By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route* 

SEEKING A COOL PLACE IN SUMMER TIME. 



145 
Manitoba northers from the north. It 
is in the direct line and current of the 
warm gulf breeze from the south, and 
too far south to get the "steel points" 
of the blizzard from the north. The con- 
tending forces of the warm gulf current 
and the norther do not meet until they 
have passed over Northern Oklahoma 
and the State of Kansas. Kansas, Mis- 
souri and Iowa are their natural battlt- 
grounds, and although they may force 
their way occasionally into disputed ter- 
ritory, yet the law is against them. This 
has been my careful observation for 
twenty years. A health resort of no 
mean proportions may be one of the 
posisbilities here. Fort Sill was estab- 
lished along in the sixties as a post of 
defense and held the key to a vast ter- 
ritory on the border of the Indian Ter- 
ritory and Western Texas. 

Peaches, pears, apricots, grapes and 
all the varieties of small fruits wilj 
grow to perfection and abundance and 
the softer varieties of apples do equally 
well. The peach excels in color and 
flavor. 

Another disinterested and slightly dif- 
ferent view of the Kiowa, Comanche and 
Apache region is that of W. G. Richard- 
son, in the Kansas City Star, who says: 
"Much of the Kiowa, Comanche and Apa- 
che reservation is fit for grazing pur- 



146 
poses only. There are large tracts that 
would be available for farming purposes 
if the rainfall were sufficient in the prop- 
er seasons. The north country is a suc- 
cession of high grassy mesas with deep 
valleys between. This county would 
make excellent pastures, but without 
rain 160 acres of it would not make an 
ideal farm. On the bottoms of the Wash- 
ita the land is lower and better for farm- 
ing purposes ana fruit culture. In the 
west the land is very high and dry, bolt 
close to Greer county it gets better. 

"South of the mountains is a large 
plain covered with curly mesquite grass 
and bunch grass on which the Texas cat- 
tlemen have for years held grazing leas- 
es. The Cache Creek, which flows into 
the Red River, with its numerous forks 
and valleys contain a large number of 
quarter-sections that would be available 
for farms. The creeks in the Wichita 
valley also have good farming bottoms. 
Along the eastern border, for a few miles 
back from the line of the Chickasaw Na- 
tion there is some excellent farming 
land on which about the same conditions 
obtain as in the Chickasaw Nation. 
There are numerous small waterways 
that assist nature in many portions of 
the reservation but even on these irriga- 
tion would be necessary. In some of the 
mountain valleys there are little parcels 



147 
of land that could be farmed. But taking 
the land as a whole, it is distinctly a 
grazing land, resembling that portion of 
Texas which lies directly south. 

"The question of rainfall is an im- 
portant one in all this Southwestern 
country, and the nearer we approach 
New Mexico and Arizona the more near- 
ly we reach the (climatic conditions 
which have made those countries the re- 
verse of farming districts. There seem 
to be no accurate statistics with regard 
to the average amount of rainfall in the 
reservation. The officers at Fort Sill 
who have been there for several years 
say that there is plenty of rain through- 
out the year, but it comes out of season 
for the farmer. There is a large rainfall 
in the winter and spring months, usually 
succeeded by a dry spell during the 
growing months." 



PROPERTY RIGHTS. 
"The following property is exempt to 
the head of every family residing in the 
Territory from every species of forced 
sale for the payment of debts. The 
homestead of the family (not in a city, 
town, or village), consisting of 160 acres 
of land in one tract, with all improve- 
ments thereon. The homestead in a city, 
town or village, consisting of one acre 
with the improvements thereon. 



148 

"The following personal property is 
exempt : All household and kitchen furni- 
ture; all implements of husbandry used 
upon the homestead; all tools, appara- 
tus, and books belonging to or used in 
any trade or profession; all family por- 
traits and pictures and wearing apparel; 
five milch cows and their calves, under 
six months old; one yoke of oxen and 
two horses or two mules, and one wag- 
on, cart or dray; ten hogs and twenty 
sheep; all provisions and forage for 
home consumption and for use of exempt 
stock for one year. 

"There is also exempt to every old sol- 
dier, sailor, or marine all pension mon- 
ey belonging to him subsequent to De- 
cember 24, 1890. 

"Contracting parties may obligate 
themselves to pay 12 per cent interest. 
Parties contracting for a greater rate 
than 12 per cent may forfeit all interest, 
but no part of the principal. Where 
there is no rate agreed upon, 7 per cent 
is the legal rate. All judgments bear 
interest at the same rate as specified in 
the contract, provided the same shall 
not exceed 12 per cent. When no rate 
is specified in the contract, 7 per cent is 
the legal rate. 

"Married women may sue and be sued 
without joining with their husbands; 
contract and carry on business, and own 



149 
all their separate property free from', 
their husband's debts, the same as a sin- 
gle woman. Females become of age at 
18. Aliens have the same property rights 
as citizens. 

"A married woman may dispose of her 
separate property by will without her 
husband's consent, and she may alter or 
revoke a will the same as if single. If 
after making a will the testator marries 
and the wife survives him, the will is 
revoked, unless provision be made for 
her by marriage contract." 



THE LAWS ARE AS GOOD AS IN ANY 
STATE. 

Hon. George S. Green, a lawyer of 
ripe experience, formerly commissioner 
of the Supreme Court of Kansas, and 
now located at Guthrie, contribute:* 
the following article regarding the laws 
of Oklahoma: 

"Oklahoma has as good laws as any 
State in the Union. The code of civil 
procedure was taken from Kansas. 

"Property interests are surrounded 
with every safe-guard and capital invest- 
ed in this Territory will be protected 
just as well as in the 'States.' T!iere 
is no more inviting field for safe and pro- 
ductive investment. 

"Accounts duly verified may be used 
and judgment rendered thereon, unless 



150 

denied under oath. Actions are brought 
as in the States having a code of civil 
procedure. There is no arrest for debt. 

"The Territory has a good banking 
law, and there are over six banks organ- 
ized under the Territorial law, besides 
the National banks. These State banks 
have a capital of more than a half mil- 
lion, a surplus and profit of two hun- 
dred and fifty thousand and a deposit 
of three million dollars. 

"Private corporations may be formed 
for the transaction of lawful business. 
The corporation acts are very liberal. 
To do business in the Territory a for- 
eign corporation must file a copy of its 
charter with the secretary of the Ter- 
ritory, and appoint a resident agent 
upon whom service of summons may be 
made. 

"The Supreme Court of the Territory 
has general appellate jurisdiction and 
consists of five judges appointed by the 
President of the United States. The 
District Courts are courts of general 
jurisdiction and have and exercise the 
same jurisdiction in all cases arising un- 
der the Constitution and laws of the 
United States as is vested in the Cir- 
cuit Court of the United States. The 
Probate Court has probate jurisdiction 
in civil cases where the amount does 
not exceed one thousand dollars. Jvs- 



151 
tices of the peace have jurisdiction, 
where the amount does not exceed one 
hundred dollars." 



OKLAHOMA CLIMATE. 

It is interesting to learn that few por- 
tions of the continent have a more at- 
tractive climate than Oklahoma; that 
the winters are mild and pleasant; that 
the springs and falls are delightful; 
that almost continual breezes mitigate 
the heat of summer; that the air is dry 
and that sunshiny days outnumber the 
cloudy ones four to one. Inva'kls are 
glad to know that in Oklahoma they 
may escape rheumatism, consumption, 
and other terrors of damp and cold cli- 
mates. The farmer notes that he can 
work outdoors comfortably in winter. 
But the important thing is, does the 
rain come at the right times to mature 
crops? If is does, the other considera- 
tions are not so vital. For men will 
go and stay wherever money is to be 
made, regardless of heat or cold, wetness 
or dryness. 

Let us examine experts. The weath- 
er observer will testify that the average 
annual rainfall of the United States is 
28.6 inches. The man who knows all 
about crops will prove that twelve inches 
of evenly distributed and economically 
used rainfall will mature bluegrass and 



152 
Indian corn. The statistician's data 
show that moisture lines extend from 

northeast to southwest, while the dry 
belts between the Mississippi and Rock- 
ies narrow southward; hence it is that 
portions of Minnesota receive less rain- 
fall than any point in Oklahoma and 
Sioux City, la., is in the same rain belt 
as Woodward, Okla. Ter. 

In the western part of Oklahoma the 
precipitation varies from 20 to 30 inches ; 
in the eastern from 30 to 40 inches. The 
average yearly fall of rain along the 
A-, T. & S. F. Ry., between Arkansas 
City and Purcell is 30 to 33 inches, which 
exceeds the recorded downpour from 
the clouds that hover over St. Paul and 
San Francisco, and is about the same as 
that for Milwaukee, Toledo and Daven- 
port. 

The average rainfall at Fort Reno for 
14 years was 27.67 inches annually; Fort 
Supply, 12 years, 21.74 inches; Fort Sill, 
25 years, 30.67 inches; Fort Gibson, 20 
years, 36.55 inches. Fort Reno, Sill 
and Supply represent the driest portions 
of Oklahoma, while Gibson stands for 
the eastern border counties. 

Other records, for a shorter period, 
are: Woodward, 19:34 inches; Man- 
gum, 23.27; Anadarko, 25.30; "Pureeil, 
32.43; Sapulpa, 38.08; Oklahoma City, 



153 
30.49. At Stillwater during 1898 rain 
fell to the depth of 42.62 inches. 

Rains are usually well distributed 
through the growing season, only one 
partial drouth being recorded in ten 
years. The 1899 spring downpours have 
been abundant. 

But isn't it hot here in summer? Yes. 
but it as hot and much more disagreea- 
ble at times in Chicago and New York. 
The mean annual temperature of the 
central portion of the Territory is 50 
degrees. 

The warmest days are between Jvne 
1st and September 30th, when the mercu- 
ry may rise to the ninety -five mirk the 
warmest part of the afternoon. At 
nightfall a cool breeze arises, supple- 
menting the warmer wind of the day- 
time, and one awakens refreshed. But 
the hot days are not continuous. After 
two or three of them- a period of cool- 
ness intervenes. For example, at Okla- 
homa City during June, July and August 
1897, the thermometer went as low as 
48, 56 and 57 degrees, respectively, on 
several days in each month, and the 
mean temperature was 75, 78 and 80 ie- 
grees. 

With October comes Indian summer. 
Then the skies are cloudless. With a 
thin haze to soften the sunshine and 
with flowers abloom we imperceptibly" 



154 
glide at Christmas time into as much of 
severe winter as Oklahoma ever gets. 
The first killing autumn frost usually 
arrives by November 2nd and the last 
one in spring by March 24th to April 
9th — only five months out of the twelve 
when the most tender plant would be 
nipped if left out over night. 

Even the winds of Oklahoma are a 
blessing. -^-lgh breezes drive away mi- 
crobes. They may cause the mistress 
of the house to fume because dust can't 
be kept out of the parlor; but they also 
make her rejoice when, the storm subsid- 
ing, it is succeeded by days of absolute 
atmospheric gentleness. The winds blow 
up rains, too, and the rains make every- 
body and everything happy. 



Oklahoma Facts* 

Governor Barnes' report for the year 
1900 is splendidly compiled with inter- 
esting reading and scenery of farms and 
public institutions, from which the fol- 
lowing is taken: 

The present area of Oklahoma is 38,- 
715 square miles, or over 19,000,000 acres. 
The territory lies between 96 degrees, 30 
min. and 100 degrees west longitude, be- 
ing in the same belt as central Kansas 
and Texas. 

Ninety- five per cent of the population 



155 
are American born and the percentage 
of illiteracy is less than in thirty-five 
states and territories. 

Taxes are lower than in most states 
of the Union, the total Territorial levy 
for 1900 is 5.15 mills. 

The total indebtedness of the Territo- 
tory is $279,054.18. 

The net proceeds to the Territory from 
leasing lands from June 30, 1890, to June 
30, 1901, is $833,554.32. 

The amount of distributions per capita 
of school population of such fund has 
increased from eighty cents in 1892 to 
$1.13 in 1900. 

There are only 163 vacant quarter 
sections of school land in the Territory 
but there are 573,385 acres of vacant 
land in the territory subject to Home- 
stead entry. 

The taxable valuation for the year 
1900 is $50,000,000 on $135,000,000 of real 
worth. One fourui of Oklahoma^ pop- 
ulation of 400,000 are in the public- 
schools. This does not include 2,000 
young men and women in the higher in- 
stitutions of learning. 

There are in active operation in the 
Territory seventy-nine Territorial or 
State banks and eleven National Bank=. 

There are 900 miles of railway in the 
territory. 

The wheat crop of the territory for 



156 
1900 is 25,000,000 bushels. The ivm 
crop for 1900 will reach 70,000,000 bush- 
els. 

The cotton crop for 1900 will exceed 
150,000 bales. The oats crop for 1900 
is 12,000,000 bushels. 

The castor bean crop for 1900 is 150,- 
000 bushels and of peanute 75,000 bush- 
els. Over 400 car loads of melons were 
shipped from the territory last year. 

The average yield of kaffir corn was 
from sixty to ninety bushels, of broom 
corn from one-fourth to one-half ton per 
acre of the cured product. 

The number of live stock returned tor 
assessment for the year 1900 was 243,103 
horses; 49,525 mules and asses, 990,544 
cattle, 43,474 sheep and 245,431 swiije. 

The products from farm,, factory a. ad 
mines for the year 1900 was in aggre- 
gate $75,000,000. 



KIOWA AND COMANCHE. 

Governor C. M. Barnes, in his report 
'for the year ending June 30, 1900, has 
the following to say of the Kiowa and 
Comanche and Apache and the Wichita 
reservations : 

INDIAN RESERVATIONS. 

There has been no change in the Indi- 
an reservations of Oklahoma during the 
past year, and there are still within 



157 
the Territory lands in Indian reserva- 
tions as follows: 

acres. 

Kansas '. 100,137 

Kiowa and Comanche 2,968,893 

Osage 1,470,068 

Otoe 129,113 

Ponca 26,328 

Wichita, etc., 743,610 

Total 54,438,139 

The Wichita and Kiowa and Coman- 
che lands have been treated for and are 
soon to open, and will likely be the last 
great opening of the lands in the south- 
west, as the other reservations, except 
the Osage are small and will be mostly 
taken up by allotments. The O'sage 
tribe own their reservation in fee sim- 
pie, and it seems likely that when they 
take their allotments they will sell the 
balance of the land themselves. 

The passage of the act by Congress ap- 
proved June 6, 1900, ratifying the trea- 
ty with the Kiowa and Apache Indians 
and providing for the opening of their 
reservation to settlement within a year 
from that date, has attracted much at- 
tention to that country and the mail of 
the executive office is daily loaded down 
with inquiries about the reservation and 
the opening, coming from every state 
and territory in the Union, and even 



158 
from foreign countries. So great is the 
interest manifested at this early day 
that I am led to believe that the rush 
into that country when it opens to set- 
tlement will be even greater than the 
many remarkable races for homes in the 
other portions of the Territory. 

The Kiowa, Comanche and Apache res- 
ervations lie in the southwestern part 
of the Territory, is about sixty miles 
square and contains 2,968,893 acres of 
land. 

The treaty with the Indians and the 
law ratifying the same provide that be- 
fore the reservation is open to settle- 
ment land shall be deducted as follows: 

Fort Sill Reservation 60,000 

Agency Reservation, about 3,000 

School and church reservations . . 1,600 

Indian pasture 480,000 

Indian allotments 464,000 

School and college lands 329,877 

Special allotments 3,840 

Total reserved 1,340,317 

This will leave 1,614,076 acres for set- 
tlers. Of this probably one-fourth will 
be mineral or waste lands, leaving about 
8,000 quarter sections of desirable land 
for settlers, the greater portion of them 
suited to general farming and stock 
raising. 

For years the white people of the 



159 
southwest have looked upon this beauti- 
ful and picturesque reservation with 
longing eyes, and the zealous manner in 
which it has been guarded by the In- 
dian agents and the Indians has but 
served to increase the desire to possess 
what appeared to many to be a verita- 
ble land of milk and honey. 

The rich bottom lands of the Washita 
Valley, producing magnificent crops of 
wheat and corn; the fertile lands bor- 
dering many other streams, the beauti- 
ful undulating plains stretching away to 
the Red river on the south and west, 
and the magnificent mountain parks in- 
deed offer an inviting field for the agri- 
culturist; but a thorough inspection of 
the entire reservation shows much land 
that is alone suitable for grazing, and 
much more that is absolutely waste, 
while many thousands^ of acres on the 
mountains will be absolutely valueless 
except for such minerals as may be 
found there. A careful examination of 
the land over a large portion of the res- 
ervation convinces me that about one- 
half of the land which will be left for 
settlers will be desirable farming land, 
the rest being suited for pasture and 
stock feed, with a considerable area of 
wholly waste land. The land that is 
suited for farming, however, is of the 
very best, and within a few years this 



160 
reservation will be as thickly populated 
and as prosperous as any other portion 
of the Territory, producing crops of the 
many products so successfully grown 
throughout all Oklahoma. 

While there are rich valleys and beau- 
tiful parks scattered all over the reser- 
vation, the largest bodies of uniform ag- 
ricultural land lie east of a line passing 
north and south at the western limit 
of the Fort Sill military reservation. 
The northeastern quarter of the reserva- 
tion contains much good land, but is 
somewhat broken by a chain of hills. 
The southeastern quarter is mostly un- 
dulating prarie, fertile and unbroken. 
The southwest quarter of the reserva- 
tion is mostly high and rolling except in 
valleys of the Red river. Any of the 
upland will produce good crops of wheat, 
but much of this part is best adapted 
to pasture. In the northwest quarter 
is some of the very finest land in the 
valleys of the streams and in the parks 
of the Wichita mountains, which occupy 
much of this portion. 

The reservation is the best watered in 
the Territory. Large rivers bound it 
on three sides and hundreds of streams 
cross it in every direction. Most of the 
streams head in the mountains and are 
clear, pure, cool spring water, flowing 
swiftly over beds of gravel and abound- 




By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route* 

CATTLE FEEDING, NEAR MULHALL 




By courtesy of the Santa. Fe Route* 

THEY ARE THE PICTURE OF HEALTH. 



161 
ing in fish. There are hundreds of fine 
springs, several being among the largest 
in the west, and good water can be found 
anywhere at a depth of from 20 to 40 
feet. 

The rainfall is abundant in all parts 
of the reservation, the official record at 
Fort Sill showing an average fall of 30 
inches for the past nine years. The cli- 
mate is delightful and invigorating. 

Buff alo, grama, bluestem, sage and mes- 
quite grass cover the entire reservation 
with a rich mat of green, making it the 
stock raiser's paradise, little shelter or 
feed beyond that provided by nature be- 
ing needed. The reservation is fairly 
well timbered, all streams being lined- 
with trees and some quite extensive for- 
ests of oak and mesquite being found in 
the mountains, also walnut, persimmon,, 
cottonwood, pecan and some ash and ce- 
dar. 

The greater portion of the Indians 
upon this reservation have built houses, 
made some few improvements, and as 
they will in the majority of cases select 
their allotments where they have built, 
they will take up all of the Washita val- 
ley and many of the other choicest por- 
tions of the reservation with the best 
water and timber. 

WICHITA MOUNTAINS. 

The Wichita mountains are gigantic 



162 
piles of granite and other rock pushed 
up through the prairie in the northwes- 
tern portion of the reservation. They 
cover an area of about Iz by 30 miles in 
extent, and abound in fine springs, beau- 
tiful flowing streams, richest of valleys 
and magnificent scenery. There have 
long been stories of rich mineral depos- 
its in these hills guarded by the Indians. 
There have been reports of the discovery 
of traces of old Spanish mines, and many 
claims of rich discoveries of mineral, 
but unfortunately none are well authen- 
ticated. 

When it became known that the law 
ratifying the treaty extended the mining 
laws over the reservation many prospec- 
tors rushed in and though they were al- 
lowed to work unmolested several weeks 
none of them appear to have made any 
rich finds. It is certain that of the 
many who have prospected the streams 
none have found any pay dirt. There 
are veins of quartz in the mountains 
that promise well in both gold and sil- 
ver, but time and capital will be required 
to develop them. 

But whether the precious metals are 
found in paying quantity or not, the 
mountains are rich in minerals, and the 
reservation is destined to become one of 
the most valuable sections of Oklahoma. 

Eearly army officers who explored fche 



163 

country report indications of copper, co- 
balt, lead, zinc, and iron, and late inves- 
tigation discloses the presence of all of 
these as well as beds of coal. Near 
Fort Sill are remarkable deposits of 
liquid asphaltum, and at several places 
it constantly oozes from the ground. 
There are several oil springs in the 
mountains, and one from which natural 
gas constantly bubbles, while oil has 
been discovered at a number of places 
while digging for water. The finest of 
mineral springs abound and these moun- 
tains will at an early date be noted 
health and pleasure resorts. 

The general altitude of the coiiLtry 
about the mountains is 2,000 feet and 
the peaks rise from 300 to 1,000 i< A 
above this, many of them great gigantic 
piles of granite with all the fantastic 
shapes and formations of cliffs, gorges 
and precipices to be seen in the K n-k- 
ies. The scenery in many places is 
equal to anything to be seen ifi tke 
mountain states, and the view of the 
Wichitas from the Rock Island trains 
passing across the reservation is as H-ru 
tiful as that of the Rockies from Den 
ver. 

While thousands of people are look- 
ing toward this reservation and anx- 
iously awaiting its opening, and I my- 
self am most desirous of seeing its ear- 



164 

ly transformation from a great cattle 
pasture into busy, progressive communi- 
ties, constituting several additional 
counties of the Territory, I can not but 
feel that unless the opening can come as 
early as April 1, it would be better to 
postpone it until fall, as it is a serious 
mistake for people to try to inaugurate 
any farming in a country so far south 
late in the spring. A spring opening 
much after April 1 will leave the people 
to get through a year and a half before 
they can have a crop to use or market, 
and in a new and untried country this 
means much suffering and hardship to 
the settlers. 



WICHITA RESERVATION 
Much interest is also manifested in 
the Wichita reservation which was treat- 
ed for in 1891 and ratified in 1895, and 
it is desirable for the best interests of 
the Territory that the alloting of lands 
begun several years ago should be com- 
pleted and the reservation opened at an 
early date. These lands which are des- 
ignated as County "I" on the map, north 
of the eastern part of the Kiowa and 
Comanche country, are 743,610 acres in 
extent. The Canadian river bounds the 
reservation on the north and the Wash- 
ita on the south, and numerous small 
streams traverse it throughout. The 



165 

valleys are broad and fertile, and the 
uplands are rolling prairie, nearly all of 
which is suited to diversified farming. 
Cotton, cane, beets, potatoes, corn,, 
wheat, melons, ana all kinds of vegeta- 
bles flourish equally well here, and when 
the land is opened settlers can obtain 
forms unexcelled anywhere in the Unit- 
ed States. When the Indian allotments, 
school and college and waste lands are 
deducted there will stm be left about 
2,000 farms for white settlers, the great- 
er part of it excellent agricultural land. 



Laws* 

The Honorable John W. Noble, Secre- 
tary of the Interior, having endorsed 
Morgan's Manual of the United States 
Homestead Townsite and Mining Law?, 
I have quoted from it as it is a valuable 
compilation of law and contains facts 
invaluable to those seeking homes on 
the public domain. 

MINING LAWS IN FORCE. 

That should any of said lands allotted 
to said Indians, or opened to settlement 
under this Act, contain valuable mineral 
deposits, such mineral deposits shall oe 
open to location and entry, under the 
existing mining laws of the United 
States, upon the passage of this Act r 



166 
.and the mineral iaws of the United 
States are hereby extended over suid 
lands. 

THE HOMESTEAD LAW. 

The homestead privilege is conferred 
by section 2289, U. S. Revised Statutes. 
This section, together with sections 2290 
and 2301, were amended by act of con- 
gress approved March 3, 1891, to read as 
follows. 

Section 5. That Section 2289 and 2290 
in said chapter numbered 5, of the Revis- 
ed Statutes, be and the same are hereby, 
amended, so that they shall read as fol- 
lows : 

"Sec. 2289. Every person who is the 
head of a family or who has arrived at 
the age of twenty-one years, and is a 
citizen of the United States, or who has 
filed his declaration of intention to be- 
come such, as required by the natural- 
ization laws, shall be entitled to enter 
one-quarter section or a less quantity, 
of unappropriated public lands to be lo- 
cated in a body in conformity to the le- 
gal subdivisions of the public lands; 
but no person who is the proprietor of 
more than 160 acres of land in any state 
or territory shall acquire any right un- 
der the homestead law. And every per- 
son owning and residing on land may, 
under the provisions of this section, en- 
ter other land lying contiguous to his 



167 
land which shall not, with the land so 
already owned and occupied, exceed in 
the aggregate 160 acres. 

Sec. 2290. That any person applying 
to enter land under the preceding section 
shall first make and subscribe before the 
proper officer and file in the proper land 
office an affidavit that he or she is the 
head of a family, or is over twenty-one 
years of age, and that such application 
is honestly and in good faith made for 
the purpose of actual settlement and cul- 
tivation, and not for the benefit of any 
other person, persons or corporation, and 
that he or she will faithfully and honest- 
ly endeavor to comply with all the re- 
quirements, residence )and cultivation 
necessary to acquire title to the land 
applied for; that he or she is not 
acting as agent for any person, corpora- 
tion or syndicate in making such entry, 
nor in collusion with any person, corpo- 
ration or syndicate to give them the ben- 
efit of the land entered, or any part 
thereof or the timber tnereon : that he 
or she does not apply to enter the same 
for the purpose of speculation, but in 
good faith to obtain a home for him elf 
or herself, and that he or she has not 
directly or indirectly made, and will not 
make, any agreement or contract in any 
way or manner, with any person or per- 
sons, corporation or syndicate whatso- 



168 
ever, by which the title which he or she 
might acquire from the government of 
the United States should inure, in whole 
or in part, to the benefit of any person, 
except himself or herself; and upon ill- 
ing such affidavit with the register or 
receiver on payment of $5 when the en- 
try is not more than 80 acres, and on 
payment of $10 when the entry is for 
more than 80 acres, he or she shall there- 
upon be permitted to enter the amount 
of land specified." 

In addition to the fee of $15 for an 
80 tract and $10 for 160 acres, there is 
also charged at the time of entry a 
"commission" of $2 on an 80 acre tract 
and $4 on 160 acres. Therefore, an en- 
tryman must pay $7 fees and commis- 
sion on 80 acres and $14 on 160 acres. 
At the time of making final proof which 
means the time one makes the proof of 
his residence and improvements neces- 
sary to acquire title, he must also pay 
for 80 acres, additional fees and commis- 
sions of $2, and for 160 acres $4, addi- 
tional fees and commissions. With 
(some exceptions the above applies to 
Oklahoma lands and a large number of 
states. 

Any bona fide settler under the pre- 
emption homestead, or other settlement 
law shall have the right to transfer, by 
warranty against his own acts, any por- 



I 



169 
tion of his claim for church, cemetery 
or school purposes, or for the right of 
way of railroad, canals, reservoirs, or 
ditches for irrigation or drainage across 
it; and the transfer for such public pur- 
poses shall in no way vitiate the right 
to complete and perfect the title of his 
claim. 

HOW TO INITIATE HOMESTEAD 
RIGHT. 

There are two ways by which to ini- 
tiate a right to a tract of land under 
the homestead law. There are, first, by* 
Entry; second, by Settlement. To 
these might be added, third, the right 
given to the ex-Union soldiers and sail- 
ors, to initiate their claims by filing, in 
person, or by agent, a Declaratory state- 
ment. These will be treated in the order 
named. 

HOMESTEAD BY ENTRY. 

To make an entry one must make an 
application at the proper land office, ac- 
companied by proper affidavits showing 
his qualifications to make homestead 
entry, and pay the fees and commissions, 
which in Oklahoma are for 160 acres, $14, 
for 80 acres, $7, and for 40 acres, $6. It 
is very important that entry papers be 
correctly made. 

The oath required as shown by amend- 



170 
ed Section 2290, modified to correspond 
to special statutes applicable to Oklaac- 
ma. 

EXAMINATION OF THE LAND. 

It is not necessary to examine the 
land before making homestead entry, ex- 
cept entries upon lands held to be miner- 
al lands: By Act approved March 3, 
1891, (see index Act March 3, 1891,) the 
lands in Oklahoma were declared to be 
'non-mineral lands. Hence as a rule 
lands in Oklahoma may be entered with- 
out first viewing the lands. But by 
Act of Congress, approved June 6, 1900, 
opening the Kiowa, Comanche and Apa- 
che lands to settlement, the mining laws 
of the United States w T ere extended over 
these lands, and following the ordinary 
rule in such cases, persons desiring to 
make homestead entries of these lands 
will be required to make non-mineral 
affidavit, which is in substance to the 
effect that a personal examination of the 
land has been made, and that there are 
no indication of minerals on the land. 
WHERE TO MAKE ENTRY. 

Prior to act of May 26, 1890, (10 L. D. 
688) the entryman must go in person 
before the Register and Receiver at. the 
lond office and make the homestead affi- 
davits, unless the family of the appli- 
cant or some member thereof was actu- 
ally residing on the land and the appli- 






171 

cant being prevented by reason of dis- 
tance, bodily infirmity or other good 
cause from personal attendance at the 
^district land office. 

By the act of April 26, 1890, referred 
to above the law was amended by strik- 
ing out the provision requiring the fami- 
ly of applicant or some member thereof 
to be actually residing on the land. 

By said act, section 2294 U. S. Revised 
Statutes, is amended to read: 

"In any case in which the applicant for 
the benefit of the homestead * * * law 
is prevented by reason of distance, bodily 
infirmity or other good cause, from per- 
sonal attendance at the district land 
office, he or she may make the affidavit 
required by law before any commissioner 
of the United States circuit court or the 
clerk of a court of record for the county 
in which the land is situated and trans- 
mit the same with the- fee and commis- 
sion to the Register and Receiver." 

The Department of the Interior has 
held that under the above statute Pro- 
bate Judges, being their own clerks are 
qualified to administer the oath, in home- 
stead affidavits in proper cases, coming 
under the above statute. Under section 
2, act of Congress, approved March 2, 
1895, "United States Court Commission- 
ers," appointed by the chief justice of 
the territorial supreme court are author- 



izeci to administer oaths under the above 
section, the same as United States cir- 
cuit court commissioners. 
WHO CAN MAKE HOMESTEAD 
ENTRY. 

Every person who is the head of the 
family or who has arrived at the age of 
twenty-one years, who is a citizen of the 
United States or who has declared his 
intention to become such, may make 
homestead entry in Oklahoma, providing 
lie does not own 160 acres of land, and 
has not before made homestead entry 
or filed soldier's declaratory statement. 
The general rule is that the right is for- 
ever exhausted by making one home- 
stead entry or filing one declaratory 
statement, but there are exceptions to 
this rule. 

A person under twenty-one years of 
(ajge, but who is the head of a family is 
a qualified entryman. A widow, who as- 
the heir of her deceased husband is 
holding her husband's claim, entered 
prior to his death, may make an entry 
in her own right. The wife of a help- 
liess\ paralytic is the head of a family 
and as such may make entry. 

Service in the army or navy of the 
United States in the war of the rebel- 
lion, for a period of ninety days, entitles 
one to make a homestead entry without 
regard to age or citizenship. R. S. U. S. y 



173 

section 2304. If the soldier be dead his 
widow, and if she be dead then his miner 
heirs, by guardian duly appointed and 
credited at the Department in Washing- 
ton, may make homestead entry. 

A married woman, the head of a fam- 
ily or one deserted by her husband, is a 
qualified homesteader. 
WHO CAN MAKE ENTRY IN THE 
KIOWA AND COMANCHE LANDS? 

Generally, any person may make 
homestead entry of the lands in the 
Kiowa, Comanche and Apache country, 
who is qualified to make entry under 
the homestead law. 

SIMULTANEOUS APPLICATION. 

It sometimes happens that two per- 
sons apply to enter land at the same 
time, in which case the rule is as fol- 
lows: 

First. Where neither party has im- 
provements on the land the right of en- 
try should be awarded to the highest 
bidder. 

Second. When one has actual settle- 
ment and improvements, and the other 
has not it should be awarded to the 
actual settler. 

Third. Where both allege settlement 
and improvements, an investigation 
must be had and the right of entry 
awarded to the one who shows prior 
actual settlement and substantial im- 



174 
provements so as to be noticed on the 
ground to any competitor. 

ENTRY AN' APPROPRIATION. 

The entry of the land is an appropria- 
tion of it. It is thereby segregated from 
the public domain. It is not subject to 
entry or valid settlemnt by another, and 
the entryman acquires an incohate rig! t 
■ — an equity in the land which can not 
be defeated, except by failure on tiie 
part of the entryman, to comply with 
the law, provided, of course, that the 
land was not appropriated prior to the 
entry by settlement of another. 

HOMESTEAD BY SETTLEMENT. 

Having considered the first method, 
viz: By entry, we will now consider the 
second method of initiating a homestead 
right, viz: By settlement. 

Prior to May 14, 1880. it was only by 
entry that a homestead right to a tract 
of land could be initiated. 

The third section of the act approved 
on that date, provided: 

Sec. 3. That any settler who has set- 
tled, or who shall hereafter settle on 
any of the public lands of the United 
States, whether surveyed or unsuryeyed, 
with the intention of claiming the same 
under the homestead law, shall be allow- 
ed the same time to file his homestead 
application and perfect his original entry 
in the United States land office, as is 



175 

allowed to settlers under the preemption 
laws. 

By reference to the pre-emtion law, U. 
S. R. S. section 2265, we find that the 
settler has three months from date of 
his settlement in which to make his fil- 
ing. Therefore under act of May 14, 
1880, a homestead settler has three 
months from date of his settlement in 
which to make his entry and his rights 
relate hack to date of settlement. 

By settlement one acquires an 
inchoate interest in the land — of equal 
importance and validity of an entry — 
which his heirs inherit in case of death 
before entry. 

MAKE ENTRY WITHIN THREE 
MONTHS. 

It is very important that the entry be 
made within three months from date 
of settlement. A failure to make entry 
within three months from date of settle- 
ment, will open th~e land to the next 
settler or claimant who has complied 
with the law. Sickness, poverty, dis- 
tance, neglect, oversight, mistake, unex- 
pected delay — in short no excuse has 
been accepted by the department, provid- 
ing there is a valid adverse claim has 
attached either by settlement or entry. 
RESIDENCE TO FOLLOW. 

The settler should then proceed within 
a reasonable time — within thirty days 



176 
if possible — to establish his actual resi- 
dence upon the land. If the settler has 
a family he should remove his family 
to the claim with him, but if his circum- 
stances are such that he cannot take 
his family to the claim with him, he 
should go to the claim himself, prepare 
a home for his family and have his fam- 
ily follow him as soon as practicable. 
If a settler makes entry shortly after 
his initiatory acts of settlement and 
there is another person claiming the 
land by virtue of settlement, he should 
establish residence on the land as soon 
as possible. He should not take six 
months in which to establish his resi- 
dence on the land, after entry. To do so 
would probably be held an abandonment 
of his settlement right, and his rights 
would be held to attach only from entry. 
The entry being subsequent to the settle- 
ment of the other claimant, would be in- 
ferior, and thus the entryman, who in 
fact made the first settlement, would 
lose the land, by reason of not following 
his settlement with residence within rea- 
sonable time. 

NO FREE HOMES. 
"The provisions of the free homestead 
law do not apply to the Kiowa and Wich- 
ita lands. The 'free homes' law passed 
May 17, 1900, only applies to lands which 
had been opened to settlement prior to 



177 
the passage of that act. I think it is 
generally believed that within a few 
years the 'free homes' law will be ex- 
tended so as .to take in the Kiowa and 
Wichita reservations." 
THE SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' LAW. 

"The following is a copy of the law in 
regard to honorably discharged Union 
soldiers and sailors of the late war, and 
also the provisions in regard to those 
who failed to secure a title in fee to a 
homestead under existing laws: 

" 'And provided further, that the 
rights of honorably discharged Union 
soldiers and sailors of the late Civil 
war, as denned and described in. sections 
2304 and 2305 of the revised statutes, 
shall not be abridged. 

" 'And provided further, that any per- 
son who, having attempted to, but for 
any cause failed, to secure a title in fee 
to a homestead under existing laws, or 
who made entry under what is known as 
the commuted provision of the home- 
stead law, shall be qualified to make a 
homestead entry upon said lands. 

" 'And provided further, that any 
qualified entryman having lands adjoin- 
ing the land herein ceded, whose original 
entry embraces less then 160 acres in all, 
shall have the right to enter so much of 
the lands by this agreement ceded and 
lying contiguous to his said entry, as 



178 
shall, with the land already entered, 
make in the aggregate 160 acres, said 
land to be taken upon the same condi- 
tions as are required of other entryinen.' 

" 'The rights of honorably discharg- 
ed Union soldiers and sailors are pre- 
served entitling them to file a declara- 
tory statement by agent, and in addition 
thereto are entitled to a credit on home- 
stead settlement of the time of service in 
the army or navy during the civil war. 
We deem it proper, in this connection, 
to say that while these rights are pre- 
served, nevertheless no advantage in time 
of filing or settlement is accorded any 
person. A soldier's declaratory will only 
hold if filed on land prior to the actual 
settlement of the land by another. 

" 'The advantage of the soldier beirg 
that he is not, like others, compelled to 
be present and file or settle in person, 
but can remain wherever he may reside 
and await the result of the action of his 
agent. We deem it proper to say for 
the benefit of the old soldier, if he desir-; s 
to make entry of any of these lands 
that he should in person be present for 
the reason that every person has the 
right to enter land either by filing at 
the land office or by actual occupancy 
of the land. The rush for these lands 
will undoubtedly be so great that it is 



179 
safe to predict most of its being taken 
by actual settlement. 5 " 
VETERANS OF THE SPANISH WAR. 

"The following is a copy of the act in 
reference to homestead entrymen who 
enlisted or served in the army during 
the war with Spain: 

" 'That in every case in which a set- 
tler on the public lands of the United 
States under the homestead law enlists 
or is actually engaged in the army, navy 
or marine corps of the United States as 
a private soldier, officer, seaman, or 
marine, during the existing war with 
Spain, or during any other war in which 
the United States may be engaged, his 
services therein shall, in the administra- 
tion of the homestead laws, be construed 
to be equivalent to all intents and pur- 
poses to residence and cultivation for 
the same length of time upon the tract 
entered or settled upon; and hereafter 
no contest shall be initiated on the 
ground of abandonment, nor allegation 
of abandonment, sustained against any 
such settler, unless it shall be alleged 
in the preliminary affidavit or affidavits 
of contest, and proved at the hearing in 
cases hereafter initiated, that the set- 
tler's alleged absence from the land was 
not due to his employment in such serv- 
ice; provided, that if such settler shall 
be discharged on account of wounds re- 



180 
ceived or disability incurred in the line 
of duty, then the time of his enlistment 
shall be deducted from the required 
length of residence without reference to 
the time of actual service; provided fur- 
ther, that no patent shall issue to any 
homestead settler who has not resided 
upon, improved and cultivated his home- 
stead for a period of at least one year 
after he shall have commenced his im- 
provements.' 

"The commissioner of the general land 
office has given notice that no person 
will be permitted to settle upon the 
lands in the Kiowa and Wichita reserva- 
tions until after the allotments tu the 
Indians have been made and after the 
proclamation of the President is issued." 
ABOUT THE SALE OF LOTS. 

"A new plan is provided for the sale 
of those lots. They are to be «old at 
public auction and the proceeds used in 
erecting courthouses and in making 
roads and building bridges and in mak- 
ing other public improvements.' 

"How will the lands be opened?" 

"That will be decided later. The man- 
ner of opening will be presented in the 
President's proclamation and in the rules 
and regulations of the department.. Sev- 
eral plans of opening have been suggest- 
ed. I think nearly everybody is anxious 
to avoid the racing. The scenes at 1<>r- 



161 

mer openings in Oklahoma shou'.I be suf- 
ficient to cause the government to adopt 
a new plan and personally I would like 
to see the lot 2 plan adopted. This 
would place everybody on the ?anie ba.-is 
and much trouble that otherwise mi^bt 
result be averted." 



182 

The Last Frontier* 

There's a song in the air, an odor on tue 

breeze, 
Breathing beauty of the midland 'twixt 

two great seas; 
Long a distant dream of mind, its day is 

drawing near, 
"lis the magic, mystic land of The Last 

Frontier. 

There's a song in the heart, a glinting o 

the eye 
That tells an untold tale to common 

passers by; 
Of the wood-bird sweetly singing, so 

near, oh near, 
When the bugle-note is calling The Last 

Frontier. 

There's a note in the voice of homeless, 

wand'ring man 
Like the "lost word" of the ancients 

who felt life's ban — 
The sad note of longing sung thru the 

burdened years, 
Tis now the glad note of calling The 

Last Frontier. 

The "miracle" will be wrought on that 

last great day 
When the highlands be free and the low 

lands have sway; 



)w- 



183 
Then the song on the south wind, swel- 
ling out full and clear, 
Will be the song of the thousands, The 
Last Frontier. 

— K. Paul Rathbun. 



kThe above verses written by a lady re- 
ling at Cloud Chief, O. T., first saw 
e light in the January number of "The 
Last Frontier," a semi-monthly published 
by the Frontier Publishing Co., at Okla- 
homa City. Every person interested in 
the Kiowa, Comanche country and West- 
ern Trail history should send them fifty 
cents for a six months' subscription, as 
it occupies a unique field. I am grate- 
fully indebted to the publishers for fa- 
vors extended, and also to Charles A. 
rake, Esq., for valuable data. 

PHILIP L. ALEXANDRE. 



HOW TO SUCCEED 

IN SECURING A CLAIM IN THE 
KIOWA & COMANCHE COUNTRY 

MORGAN'S MANUAL 

Will answer this question correct- 
ly. It is a book that has passed 
through Five Editions, and 20,000 
copies have been sold. It has been 
indorsed by the highest authority 
and is recognized as absolute au- 
thority. No one going to the new 
country can afford to do without it. 
Price with fine sectional map $1. 

THE KIOWA CHIEF 

Is a newspaper edited by the author 
of Morgan's Manual and is devoted 
to news and information, news and 
practical knowledge about the new 
lands to open. It will contain the 
proclamation fixing date of open- 
ing. One year, $1; six months, 60 
cts. Subscribe for it and keep 
posted. Will send Morgan's Man 
ual, Map and the Chief six months 
all for $1.50. :: :: :: :: 



ADDRESS 

DICK T. MORGAN 

PERRY O . T . 




By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route, 

CATTLE SCENE NEAR MULHALL. 



lill 
14 










SCENE AT OKLAHOMA STREET FAIR. 




By courtesy of the Santa Fe Route. 

420 ACRES OF MELONS-lOl RANCH. 






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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




016 089 207 9 



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